Mirrors
by bladespark
Summary: The Princess Zelda looks in the mirror and can't help but hate what she sees. Once a warrior, now a fragile girl in pink. How will she deal with leaving her life as Sheik behind and claiming a new life as Zelda? Contains transgender issues, M/M romance and possibly M/F depending on how you look at it.
1. Prologue

Note: This story is about teenage emotional issues. Expect silly teenage angst all over the place. Just fyi. It's also fairly romantic, a little fluffy, and as should be immediately obvious, at least partly about gender/identity issues. In addition, I've altered game dialogue considerably and the game events slightly in order to tell the story I wanted to tell. So if any of that isn't to your taste, you can't say you haven't been warned!

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**Prologue**

The mirror had been a gift. Somebody, she couldn't even remember who, had thought that a princess should have a full-length mirror. So even though she was living in a hastily-repaired room in the town while work had only just begun on the new castle, she had a mirror in her room. There had been other gifts too, her people seemed to think she needed so very many things. Never mind that she had spent seven years in hiding. Seven years as a Sheikah, sleeping on a blanket on the ground as often as in a bed. Seven years training to fight, preparing for the day when she would aid the Hero of Time in his quest. Never mind that she hadn't had dresses or servants or any of the trappings of royalty since she was ten. She was a princess, so she must need, must want such things.

A princess.

She sighed. Standing in front of the mirror she removed the pink and gold dress. She set it gently on the bed. She removed the chemise she wore under it as well and set that next to the dress. She looked at the mirror again and frowned. Then she picked up the wrappings, taking them from the drawer where she'd set them aside when she first moved into this room. After all this time she could put them on with her eyes closed. Which she now did, avoiding looking at herself in the mirror.

With arms and chest securely wrapped she looked at herself once again.

The bindings held a minor enchantment. Those who looked at her would see not a princess, but a male Sheikah. They would see her eyes as Sheikah red. They would see her shoulders as a little broader, her hips as a little narrower, her body that of a muscled young man.

But the enchantment didn't touch the eyes of the wearer, so when Zelda opened them and looked in the mirror once more she saw the truth. She was muscled, yes. She had earned her strength the hard way, not won it by some spell. But her shoulders were slender, her hips wide, and the bindings couldn't completely hide her chest.

Her eyes were still blue.

She still looked like the princess, not the Sheikah.

With a cry she punched the wall next to the mirror. It was all she could do to not hit the mirror itself, and shatter the image of the princess within it into a thousand pieces.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

A ten year old girl sat on the floor and cried. Her hair was long and golden. Her swollen eyes were bright blue. Her dress was pink and white and gold, but it was tattered and torn, stained by smoke and blood.

The door to the little shack where the girl sheltered opened. Outside it was raining. And in from the rain stepped a woman. She was tall, with steel gray hair cropped pragmatically short. She wore light armor over a close-fitting body suit. A sword rode at her hip. And tucked under one arm was a parcel.

"Zelda." The girl looked up at the woman's voice. "I brought you new clothing."

Zelda sniffed, and dried her eyes on one tattered sleeve. She gathered the tattered remains of a royal dignity beyond her age and said, "Thank you Impa."

Impa helped her change from her ruined dress to the new clothing. It was a bit like a miniature version of what Impa herself wore, a close-fitting bodysuit, with the wrappings that were traditional to Sheikah wound over it.

"There." Impa nodded her approval. Zelda looked down at herself, feeling strange. It was nothing like she had ever worn before. It made her feel oddly vulnerable, not to be swathed in layers of skirts. "For now you must be a Sheikah boy. My adopted son, Sheik. The Princess Zelda is in hiding, somewhere far away, never seen. The world will see only the last Sheikah."

"But Sheikah have red eyes..."

Imap smiled. "So do you now. There is magic in the Sheikah wrappings. We have taken in those not of our clan before. Whoever joins us becomes one of us, child. It has always been that way. It will be that way with you, now. And I will train you. I should have trained you before. But your father didn't approve."

"Well he's dead now," said Zelda, tears threatening to begin again. "He can't stop you."

"Zelda..." Impa crouched beside her. "I am sorry. I failed him, and you. I didn't take Ganondorf's threat seriously enough. And I am so sorry. But for now all we can do is go on."

"Why? For what? Everyone is dead and everything is destroyed!"

"Most of Hyrule's people still live, child. Including one special boy, who holds all our hopes now."

Zelda blinked back her tears. "Link? But what can he do?"

"Your own heart tells you the answer to that. Why did you throw him the ocarina?"

"So he could break the seal and draw the Master Sword. So he could beat Ganondorf. But... that was stupid. He's just a boy!"

"There is a prophesy that says the Hero of Legend will always return when Hyrule needs him. Link is the hero. He's only a boy now, but trust me. The time will come when he will have the strength to face Ganondorf. And when that day comes he will not stand alone. You will stand by his side. So we must prepare you for that day."

An expression of determination crossed Zelda's young face. "I'll be ready."

"Good. But that day is still years away. And Ganondorf will be searching for you. So from this day forward you must be Sheik, and no one else. No matter how safe a place may seem, no matter how trusted a friend may be, you are Sheik. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

The years that followed were not easy. Especially at first. The lessons were hard, and Zelda often found herself pushed to the limits of her child's strength. More than once she screamed that she hated Impa, and hated Sheik too, she wanted to be Zelda again.

But even in those moments it was her happy past she missed, not her identity. She missed her parents. She missed having a comfortable bed, plentiful food, and servants to pamper her. She missed having few lessons and fewer duties. Now every day was a lesson and her whole life was a duty. So there were days when she felt she could take no more and she rebelled and shouted tearful curses.

Those days, however, became fewer and fewer as time passed. The tight-fitting suit and wrappings began to feel comfortable. The skills she learned began to come easily to her. And the soft beds and vast banquets of her childhood faded from memory, until they were unreal, dream-like. She knew they had once been part of her life, but she seldom thought of them, or thought much of them if she did. Her life now was learning to fight, learning the simple but profound Sheikah magics, and preparing for the battle that was to come.

And soon the name Sheik began to feel like her name. Zelda was a dream too, a name never spoken save by the Hylians she met, who sometimes whispered it quietly with hope. Everyone seemed to know that somewhere out there the princess planned Ganondorf's downfall. And Ganondorf's servants also sometimes spoke that name, seeking always for the princess who had escaped. If they caught her, they would do unspeakable things to her. Thus even when they were alone Impa called her by no other name. And before long she became Sheik even in the privacy of her own mind.

Sheik's skills and strength grew as the years passed. By the time she, or he, began to blossom into puberty and needed additional concealing spells added to the one that colored his eyes red, Sheik could scale a seemingly sheer wall in seconds, defeat a full grown Stalfos, and cast dozens of spells. He felt completely at home in his role, so much so that it no longer felt like a role. He was a wandering warrior and bard, his lyre and Impa's drums an excuse for them to travel wherever they wished, keeping an eye on Ganondorf's growing power and preparing for the day, no longer all that distant, when the Hero of Time would step from the Sacred Realm to take up the Master Sword and bring down the Gerudo tyrant. And if his voice raised in song was a little too light, a little too high, well, the Sheikah were strange and barbaric people who might do anything, even up to castrating a young singer. So the glances and rumors might fly, but they always flew far of the mark. None suspected, and even Sheik himself seldom remembered, that the elusive princess Zelda moved among them every day.

So seven years slipped by, until at last one particular day dawned.

Sheik's heart was racing. He hung near the peak of the Temple of Time's high, vaulted ceiling. A slender cord was anchored to a buttress above, and his feet found an inch-wide purchase on a decorative molding, but the precarious perch was not the reason for his racing pulse. He was very much accustomed to such perches.

The reason was the currently empty dais below. It had stood empty, as the door to the inner temple had stood unlocked, for seven years. Seven years since a ten year old boy had drawn the Master Sword. And in just a few minutes that same boy would reappear. The boy that Sheik hadn't seen since he had been the almost-forgotten Zelda.

Though his face was serene, stilled by years of discipline, Sheik's emotions were a churning, chaotic boil. In a moment the hero that all of Hyrule was waiting for would appear. The linchpin of the hopes and plans that Sheik and Impa had cherished all these years. The one capable of bringing freedom and peace to a ravaged land. And that hero was Link, his childhood friend. His childhood... crush even, if he dared to think it. But Link knew only Zelda. He had never met Sheik. And he too must not know, not until the penultimate moment, when all else was ready.

In a way this made Sheik glad. He wanted Link to know him as himself, to see him for what he was, not what he had been. And yet it would be hard. Memories welled up within him, disturbing him, reminding him of what truly lay beneath the wrappings he wore. And thoughts of the future came too. He knew that when Link's quest was finished, Zelda must come back. Sheik must perish, for Hyrule would need its princess. Link's arrival brought Sheik's end that much closer.

And what would Link be like after so long? He had been a quiet child, but quick and very strong, both physically and mentally. Would he have changed? Would he remember the years he had spent sleeping, sealed away beyond Ganondorf's reach? Would he still be that same ten year old boy?

A sound, on the very edge of audibility, interrupted Sheik's chaotic thoughts. He looked down to see a blue glow beginning to grow around the pedestal. The sound swelled to a high, crystalline note, like the sound of a tuning fork. The glow grew too, then faded. There, where a moment ago there had been nothing, stood Link, the Hero of Time. Sheik's breath caught. He was just as Sheik had imagined. The promise of the boy's strength had been fulfilled in the man that now stood there, tall and broad-shouldered, with the Master Sword slung across his back. He glanced around the room, then turned and began to walk confidently towards the door.

There was no more time for thinking, it was time for action. Sheik slid down the cord he'd readied and landed with silent grace on the very spot where Link had stood only moments before. Link must have heard the faint, nearly inaudible scuff of boot against stone for he spun, drawing his sword with an almost musical scrape of steel on steel. He faced Sheik in a ready stance, but his eyes were cool and calm. He was prepared for violence if that was what proved necessary, but he did not leap to attack. Instead he looked at Sheik, the lithe young body, the red eyes, the blond hair falling loose in front, bound into a tail in back, and the mask that hid his face lest someone find it familiar and somehow guess the truth. There was no recognition in Link's eyes, he saw only a stranger. It was gratifying and heartbreaking at once. Sheik wanted to pull off his mask, to shout the truth, to say everything. But now was not the time.

Still, it was all he could do to keep his voice level as he said, "I've been waiting for you."

"Who are you?" The question was calm but wary.

"I am Sheik, the last of the Sheikah. And you are the Hero of Time." Sheik looked at him again, standing so close, his face so familiar and yet so changed. "Seeing you..." he started, then paused for an instant, remembering himself. "You do look worthy of the legends."

"What legends?" asked Link.

"The legends passed down among the Sheikah. That when evil rules all, a voice from the Sacred Realm will call the destined sages, and a hero will visit the five temples where they are held captive and set them free." He stared intently at Link, hoping the hero would read the clues that were all Sheik had to give. He knew a little more, but Impa had cautioned him against saying too much. Sheik might be meant to guide Link, but Link also must find his own destiny. If he came to lean too much of Sheik he might not gain the strength he would need.

"One in a deep forest. One on a high mountain. One beneath a vast lake. One within the house of the dead. And one in a goddess of the sand. Together with the destined hero, these sages will bind evil and bring peace to the land"

"The destined hero?"

"You. The Hero of Time."

"And who are the sages?"

"I cannot tell you."

"Then how am I supposed to... to do whatever it is I'm supposed to do?"

"Your fate, your wits, and your courage will guide you," said Sheik.

"But..." Link hesitated, and he looked so lost, so suddenly young and bewildered, that Sheik couldn't resist trying to help him a little bit more.

"You'll find the first sage familiar. She awaits within the Forest Temple. Though you cannot yet reach it. But I can tell you where to begin. Kakariko Village holds what you will need."

"I... I see." He sheathed his sword, but his expression was still wary. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Sheik felt a pang. He knew Link was right, he really didn't have any reason to trust Sheik. But he hadn't been able to keep from hoping that somehow Link would sense something of their old friendship. "I can offer you nothing but my word," said Sheik.

Link looked at him for a long time, his piercing blue eyes seeming to stare into Sheik's soul. For a moment Sheik felt terribly vulnerable, as though Link could actually see through his disguise, to the deeply hidden truth beneath. What would he think if he knew?

Then Link nodded. "Very well. Kakariko Village you say?"

"...Yes."

"Can you tell me anything else?"

"No."

Link nodded again, then turned and left, walking with easy confidence, and leaving Sheik to wonder what had just happened.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Sheik once again waited, perched out of sight, for Link to arrive. This time he perched at the entrance to the Forest Temple, above the sacred meadow beneath.

His eyes were closed, his body relaxed, his breathing slow and even. He was meditating, using the Sheikah techniques that Impa had taught him. Normally the stilling of being was a preparation for powerful magic, but Sheik was not casting a spell. The meditation was to calm the turmoil that stirred within him whenever he thought of Link. Waiting here, with nothing to do but think, he had found himself cast into mental chaos. And he could ill afford it. He needed to be Link's guide. He needed to do as the Sheikah had always done, subtly nudging events into the path of destiny. Calm and care were needed for such a task, and so he meditated, and waited for the hero to arrive.

The forest was still and silent. Now and again came the call of a bird, the rustle of a creature moving through the brush, or some other sign of life, but they did not disrupt Sheik's concentration.

Then new, different sounds echoed from afar. An animalistic roar. A battle cry. The clash of weaponry. Link had arrived. Sheik had passed through the branches above, leaving the moblins that guarded this place untouched. Link was obviously taking a more direct route to the sacred meadow.

Sheik's eyes snapped open. His heart began to race at the thought. Link.

He took another deep breath and stilled himself once more. _Calm. Do your duty and nothing more_, he told himself.

The sounds of battle drew closer. There was a deeper roar, very near, and Sheik could hear Link's voice shouting "Hya!" clearly. Then came a monstrous cry of pain, and after that silence returned. Sheik's gaze was riveted on the entrance to the sacred meadow. Somewhere a bird called again.

Link appeared, entering the meadow with that same easy, confident stride. He looked around the open, sunny space. His eyes passed over the stone platform inlaid with the forest seal, and over the temple entrance as well, and fell instead on a stump that sat to one side of the clearing. He walked to it and stood, looking down at it for some time.

Sheik was puzzled for a moment. Then he remembered. Link had been a boy here, among the Kokiri. No doubt the stump held some memory, some piece of the past that was seven years gone and yet must seem very immediate to one who had passed those years locked in magical slumber. Sheik wondered what the memory was. Perhaps he could ask. He wanted to know Link, to be familiar with his past, to find out what kind of person he was in the present...

But no. Duty called. Perhaps later there would be time for such conversations. Now there was only the war against Ganondorf.

Sheik leapt down, landing behind Link, who once more heard the nearly inaudible footfall and turned, wary but not frightened.

Sheik had mentally rehearsed a call to arms, a speech about duty and battle. But seeing the melancholy still on Link's face Sheik suddenly found those words fled.

"The flow of time can seem cruel," he said, feeling a sudden urge to poetic language.

"Yes," said Link softly, his voice sorrowful.

"It passes differently for each of us, and no one can change that flow."

Link sighed.

"But time can't change our memories," said Sheik, with a sudden vision of the past before his eyes. When he had been a princess, and had met a child hero. It seemed so very long ago...

"Yes." A sad half-smile crossed Link's face.

Sheik tried to shake off the sudden swirl of memory. _Duty,_ he repeated to himself. _I must not forget my duty._

"When you want to return here," he said abruptly, "play this song." He raised his lyre. The tune was simple, and without being asked Link took out his ocarina and echoed it. Sheik nodded approval, though the sight of the familiar instrument threatened to drown him again in memories of the princess he'd once been. He could take it no longer. There were other things he'd meant to say, but he'd done the most important thing. Link knew the Minuet of Forest now, with the ocarina's magic he could travel in safety.

"I'll see you again Link," said Sheik. He threw a deku nut, and while Link's eyes were closed against the blinding light he leapt to the entrance of the Forest Temple above. Magic and muscle worked together to carry him away, and below Link looked around in bafflement.

Much later, far away, Sheik wrapped himself in his bedroll and closed his eyes, not to meditate, but to remember. Remember a time when he had been Zelda, and when a child hero had stepped into her life for the first time.

Sheik cloaked himself in shadows as he followed Link across Hyrule Field. It was night, so the darkness hid him well. He didn't know where Link was going, now that he'd left the Forest Temple, but he could guess. The hero's course led straight to the ruins of Hyrule Castle. Though why Link might go there Sheik didn't know. His next goal should be Mount Doom and the Fire Temple.

When Link picked his way through the ruined market square towards the Temple, Sheik guessed his destination. What could the hero want in an empty temple? Sheik wrapped darkness around him and stepped through shadow, arriving in a corner of the Temple's inner chamber, where shadows lay thickly and such travel was easy. He heard Link's footsteps on the stairs outside, and then echoing within the first chamber. The steps stopped and Link called out softly, "Sheik?"

_He came looking for me. _ The realization was something of a shock, and for a moment Sheik warred with himself. "Guide him as little as you can," had been Impa's instruction when she sent him off to meet the hero. "Watch him, give him hints, but intervene only when you must. The hero must find his own destiny, he cannot lean on you."

That had seemed easy, but now... now Sheik wanted nothing more than to speak with Link again. To truly talk to him, and not just leave a cryptic hint and flee.

Well, there was something he could accomplish here. There was another song Link could learn. Knowing that it was mostly an excuse, but with enough justification to go ahead anyway, Sheik stepped from the shadows and stood at the center of the room just before Link entered the inner chamber.

"Sheik," he said, and smiled.

"Link," said Sheik, and tried to keep his voice cool and emotionless as a Sheikah's should be. "You have cleansed the Forest Temple and awakened the sage."

"I... yes." Link frowned. "But..."

"But?"

"Saria... she..." He stopped and looked at Sheik, then sighed sadly. "Never mind."

"Why are you here?" asked Sheik.

"I don't know where to go next."

He sounded so lost. And something about the forest sage seemed to be troubling him. Sheik wanted to reach out, to reassure him, but he bit his tongue and spoke only of the quest ahead. "There are other sages to be freed."

"Oh. Right. You said..." he frowned again, this time in concentration, trying to remember. "One in a forest, I've been there already. One on a mountain, one under a lake... I suppose I can guess where those two are."

"Yes."

"So I need to go to Death Mountain now?"

Sheik nodded. "And the time will come when you will need to return to this temple. I will teach you the song you must know." He pulled out his lyre, and Link smiled and took his ocarina from his bag. Sheik played, and Link echoed the notes skillfully. They harmonized together, both playing on even after it was clear Link had learned the song. For a long moment there was no quest, nor duty, only the music. When Sheik finally lowered his harp, Link took the ocarina from his lips and smiled at Sheik. Sheik's heart jumped.

"Sheik... you're a Sheikah. Do you know Impa?"

"Yes..." The sudden change of topic baffled Sheik for a moment. What was Link getting at?

"She was Zelda's bodyguard. So... maybe you might know... Is Zelda all right?"

Sheik's heart jumped again. "Yes. She... she's in hiding, waiting."

"Waiting? For what?"

"For you, hero," said Sheik. The sudden smile that lit Link's face nearly broke his heart. Link cared for Zelda, that much was obvious. Sheik was nothing but an enigmatic stranger to him.

"Then why is she still hiding? I'm here..."

"It's not safe. Zelda is..." Sheik wanted to shout "Zelda is here!" He wanted, suddenly, to be the princess again if that would gain him Link's regard. But he managed to continue without blurting out his secret. "Zelda is not the Hero of Time. She can't use the Master Sword or face Ganondorf directly. You are the one who can do that. If she were to show herself now, she wouldn't be safe."

"So I won't see her until after I beat Ganondorf?"

"I didn't say that. You will need her help before the final battle, but first you need to free the sages."

"I see. So once I've freed all the sages, then...?"

"Yes."

"Then I should be on my way." Link's face settled into an expression of determination, and his hand reached back, touching the hilt of the Master Sword.

"Yes," said Sheik. "Go to Death Mountain, find the Fire Temple and awaken the sage there."

"I will." Link turned to go, and Sheik prepared to throw a Deku nut once more and vanish. But Link turned back suddenly. "Sheik..." He hesitated, his brow furrowed faintly as though he were thinking hard about what he should say. Finally he said, "Thank you," and turned and left.

The Fire Temple was an ordeal. Sheik shielded himself with magic, but could not quite shut out the horrific heat. Sweat trickled down his back beneath his clothing, and his hair was rapidly becoming soaked with it.

Link, when he strode into the volcanic crater, looked utterly untouched by it. For a moment Sheik hated him. The hero, moving easily along the path to his destiny, all Hyrule yielding to his sword. _Even I will yield to him_, Sheik thought to himself with a kind of bitter resignation. He would yield, and willingly, returning to the identity he wished he could leave behind simply because Zelda was part of Link's destiny.

But when Sheik once more dropped from his perch above to stand before Link, the hero's face lit with a welcoming smile, and Sheik's anger faded. Why should he hate Link for being what he was? And Sheik would have to become Zelda again no matter what else happened. Hyrule would need its princess, when Ganondorf was gone. So it was for the best that Link cared for her. Sheik was doomed to vanish all too soon. Zelda would live on. And for now... for now it seemed Link looked on Sheik with positive regard. Perhaps they could become friends.

With all that tumbling through his mind, Sheik found himself speaking in poetic terms once more. "Friendship is something that grows over time. A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger. The warmth of friendship blossoms into a power that can guide you."

Something Sheik couldn't name crossed Link's face. But he nodded as though he understood what Sheik was trying to say.

"This song... This is a song of the heart." Sheik took out his lyre. It was a magical instrument, though not as powerful as the Ocarina of Time, so the heat had not warped its strings and its tone was still true. Still the metal was hot almost to the point of pain under Sheik's hand. He closed his eyes as he played. There was a pain in his chest as well, though he didn't want to put the cause of his sorrow into words.

Link echoed the song, but didn't continue playing when it was done. Sheik too lowered the harp as soon as he had finished. "Link..." Sheik didn't know what else he wanted to say. There was nothing he could say that wouldn't be a selfish delay of the hero's quest. "I'll see you again," was all he could come up with. An illusion of fire gave him the chance to escape through shadow, and a moment later he lay in the blessed coolness of his camp on the slopes of the mountain.

Sheik sprawled on his back and looked up at the sky above. The ring of fire that marked the mountain's curse lit the scene with a lurid glow. Soon, no doubt, the ring would be gone. Link would defeat the dragon that laired there, free the Gorons, waken the Sage of Fire, and advance one step closer to his final destiny. To Sheik's final doom.

_I need to control myself. This is what I've trained for. I can't let my feelings about Link confuse me like this. _ Sheik closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, calming himself. He wasn't even sure what he felt. He hardly knew Link. His child-self Zelda had idolized the boy hero. She had been certain that Link could do everything and anything. _And I guess I still feel the same way, I'm so sure he'll be victorious in there. So maybe that's all it is, just hero worship. And why not? A little hero worship is natural. He is a hero. But I can't possibly... I shouldn't possibly allow myself to feel anything more. I'll be strong. I'll guide him to finish this quest. Then... then there will be no more Sheik, so my feelings won't matter anyway._

Sheik nodded, relaxing a little. That was how things would be. He would remain a distant, enigmatic guide. Link would follow his clues and awaken the sages. Then Zelda would return and... and things would play out as they must. Hyrule would be saved, the princess would be crowned as queen, and Sheik's duty would be fulfilled


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It was some time before he spoke to Link again. Link had, of course, been victorious in the Fire Temple. Sheik followed him afterward, and would have continued to watch as he went about his quest, but a magical summons called him home.

Home was a little shack in the secret village of the Sheikah, tucked away in the mountains beyond the official borders of Hyrule. It was a barren place, for Impa and Sheik were the last of their people. Impa waited inside her modest home, the sole intact building in the little settlement.

Inside Sheik lowered the mask that covered half his face, and dropped into a chair. That was as exposed and as relaxed as he had been in what seemed like forever.

"Sheik." Impa smiled. "Things are going well. But there is a new complication."

"What is it?"

"Ganondorf has frozen the Zora's Domain. Or rather Morpha, the water demon, has frozen it at his command."

Sheik frowned. "Why would he do that?"

"I suspect he's trying to exterminate the sages. He knows that one of them has to be a Zora. Just like he knew one must be a Goron, and set his dragon to kill them all."

Sheik nodded. "So the Zoras are trapped in ice now?"

"Yes. But the fates have smiled on us. Princess Ruto is still free."

Sheik's nose wrinkled in distaste. He had never been fond of the spoiled Zora princess. "She's the sage?"

"She will be. But if she's left alone in a frozen waste..."

Sheik sighed. "She won't last long. And Link doesn't know about any of this. Do you want me to tell him?"

"I want you to rescue Ruto and set her on the path to the Water Temple. Once she's within it, her destiny will guide her. Morpha may be able to capture her, but it won't be able to keep her from her fate. Then when she's safely on her way, find Link and make sure he reaches the Water Temple as well."

Sheik nodded.

"And... after that you may be entirely on your own, Sheik."

"What?"

"My own destiny is calling me. I can feel it. The Shadow Temple..."

"I... I don't understand." That was a lie. Sheik knew what Impa must be hinting at, but he didn't want to know it. He didn't want it to be the truth.

"I am a sage as well. Or will be. One from each race, one for each element. A Sheikah must always be the Sage of Shadow. It can't be you, your destiny lies elsewhere. So it must be me."

"Impa..." Sheik suddenly felt tears gathering in his eyes. "I don't want you to go," he burst out, unable to control himself any longer.

"Oh Sheik..." Impa came and put her arms around him. "You are my son, Sheik. And I love you. But my duty has always ruled my life, as it rules yours. That is what it is to be Sheikah. Duty calls me. I must answer."

Duty. Sheik almost shouted a curse at duty. But he knew too well that Impa could not ignore her duty any more than he could ignore his. They would both go forward, even to death, if that was what their oath to the royal family demanded.

"You must go. Your duty is calling you as well. You know what needs to be done."

"Yes." He raised his mask and got to his feet. But he couldn't leave without giving Impa one last hug. "Mother," he said softly, something he had never called her before. But it was truth. Even as a princess Impa had raised him. She was the only mother he'd ever known.

"My son," said Impa with a choked voice. "My son."

"I love you."

"I love you too. Now go."

Sheik stepped back reluctantly, and then turned and ran from the house. He wrapped shadow around himself and moments later was far away from the place he had called home for seven years. But without Impa there it wasn't home. So once again he was homeless.

_But this time I am not a helpless little girl. Impa has trained me. I am Sheik, last of the Sheikah. And... _He sighed, not looking forward to the task ahead. _And now it's my turn to rescue a princess. I would say I hope she appreciates it, but I know better than to think she might._

The shadows had taken him to the Zora's Fountain. The spring welling up there had kept the water from freezing solid, but chunks of ice floated in it and the air was bitterly cold.

Sheik splashed through the freezing shallows, drawing magic around him once more as he went. The cold was more easily warded off than the heat had been, thankfully. Inside Sheik immediately found the Zora king, frozen solid. Next to him huddled a much smaller form that shivered and sobbed hopelessly. Some of Sheik's resentment evaporated at the sight. "Ruto," he called softly. Her head snapped up and she scrambled to her feet in the shallow water, looking terrified.

"Who are you?!"

"I'm a friend. I'm here to help you." Sheik held out his hand. Ruto looked at it warily.

"Can you melt the ice? Can you free my father?"

"No."

"Then what help are you!" The princess's eyes flashed and she glared at Sheik. Her volatile nature moved swiftly from fear to anger.

Sheik sighed. "The hero who's coming will free your father and break the curse on your kingdom. He will defeat the monster in the Water Temple and free the Zoras trapped in the ice. I am not a hero, I am only a guide. And I am here to guide you to your destiny. If you wait for the hero to come here you may well freeze before he arrives."

"My destiny?" Ruto's anger faded, replaced with confusion.

"Yes."

"I don't understand."

"You have a destiny. You are one of those who will help the hero save Hyrule."

"Oh!" Ruto's eyes lit. "I will? And is the hero handsome?"

Sheik nearly choked. "Is he...? Uh... Yes, I suppose..." He felt himself flushing at the thought.

"The hero is Link, isn't he?"

Sheik blinked. How had Ruto known that? Surely the brainless little thing couldn't possibly have put the clues together to figure it out. Could she? "Yes..."

Ruto giggled. "He was a cute little boy. I bet he is really handsome now! I can't wait to see him! Where do I need to go?"

Sheik tried not to roll his eyes. "I will take you there. Come with me." He held out his hand again, and Ruto put her scaled, slightly clammy hand into it. Sheik led her back towards the fountain, into the passage where the shadows were deeper. He wrapped darkness around them both, feeling the strain of carrying a second person immensely, but just managed to pull them through shadow to a spot near Lake Hylia.

Ruto let out a squeak of shock at the sudden movement, but she allowed Sheik to lead her forward, to the grassy shore of the lake itself. "There," he said, pointing at the nearly dry lake, where the Water Temple was now just visible beneath the little pool that remained.

"The Water Temple? My destiny is there? But it's dangerous! There are monsters! Nobody has gone in there for years!" She started shaking again, and looked like she might turn and run.

"It's all right," said Sheik, feeling impatience mingling with guilt. "It's safe for you. Once you're inside nothing can keep you from finding your destiny. You'll understand soon."

"I... I will?"

"Yes. All you have to do is go through the doors and you'll be safe." Guilt twisted Sheik's guts in knots. That was true, and yet it was also a lie. But what else could he do? The other sages hadn't known what they were in for either, save Impa, though most of them would probably have chosen the same if they had known. Ruto would probably flee if she knew the truth. But she had to go as well, willing or not, understanding or not, or all would fail. "And remember, the hero will be coming to join you there soon," added Sheik.

"Oh! Yes, of course!"

"Just go inside, wait for him, and everything will be clear when he arrives."

"All right." Ruto almost scurried down to the lake, leaving Sheik to stand, still conflicted, and watch her go. A moment later she had dived beneath the water and vanished. Safely inside the temple, where she could wait for her hero.

It left a bitter taste in Sheik's mouth, and he swiftly retreated to the shadows that lay nearby. A moment later he was back at the Zora's Fountain, far from the lake and the destined Sage of Water.

But Sheik had no time to brood on what he had done. He was still standing in the shadowed passage when he heard footsteps approaching from the Zora's frozen domain. They were familiar footsteps, the crisp pattern of a warrior's confident stride. Link had arrived. Sheik hastily pulled shadow around him again and stood still while Link walked by, close enough to touch. Then, still cloaked in darkness, Sheik followed him. The sun was setting, and there were plenty of shadows to hide in.

As he watched Link make his way across the ice chunks that floated in the spring Sheik found a bit of Ruta's conversation coming to mind.

_"And is the hero handsome?"_ Sheik could feel his cheeks heating once again as he thought about it. Yes, the hero was definitely handsome. Sheik followed Link to the frozen cavern that lay beyond the spring. Watching Link he found himself not just observing dispassionately, but noticing every little movement, every graceful leap, every play of his muscles, and the warmth that made his cheeks blush began to spread in very distracting ways. He decided to let the hero get well ahead of him. Sheik knew this cavern well enough, and it dead-ended some ways inside. He would catch up to Link there. And then he must once more guide Link's path, sending him after Ruto, to the Water Temple, so that the doomed Zora could awaken as a sage.

_We are all doomed,_ thought Sheik, his blush fading in the face of such gloom. _Ganondorf is doomed, but so am I. So is Impa. And Ruto, Saria, Darunia, and whoever the fifth sage is... Only Link will come through this unharmed by fate. _

Thankfully the dungeon wasn't long and Sheik was able to push such thoughts from his mind. He hesitated a moment before the last door. Link had passed through it several minutes ago. He should go soon, before Link went to leave and found him hesitating on the threshold.

He opened the door and stepped in. Link knelt next to a chest inside, holding a pair of boots. Sheik smiled. Link would need them if he were to survive the Water Temple. He was doing well, seeking out the things he needed without Sheik's guidance. But now he must go to the Water Temple without further delay, and awaken Ruto.

"We meet again," said Sheik.

"Sheik," said Link, looking up with a rather weary smile. "Can you tell me what happened to the Zoras? I came here seeking them and, well... if you followed behind me you have to know what I found."

Sheik nodded. "They are all sealed within the ice. Save for one."

"Are they all... dead?"

"No. Though they will not survive frozen forever. But you can still save them."

"How?"

"You must go to the Water Temple. Ruto will be waiting for you there."  
"The Zora princess?"

"The Sage of Water, once you awaken her."

"I see. And the others?"

"The curse that holds this place frozen was put in place by monster that dwells within the Water Temple. Defeat it and the ice will begin to melt."

"And how many more temples are there after that?"

"Just two."

Link sighed. "Good." Sheik realized that he looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes. And he was shivering. He had no magic against the cold. He must have come this far simply by staying moving, but now that he had stopped he was becoming chilled.

"You're cold," said Sheik, and knelt beside Link. Without thinking he put his hand out and touched Link's shoulder. He could share the magic that warmed him, so long as they could stay touching.

Link tensed for a moment, Sheik could feel the tension under his hand. Then Link relaxed, feeling the warmth creeping over him. "Thank you."

"Let me teach you the Serenade of Water so you can go to the Water Temple."

"All right." Link nodded and reached for his ocarina. Sheik took out his lyre and set his hands to the strings. But of course he was no longer touching Link who immediately started to shiver again.

"Here, lean against me," said Sheik, moving to sit on the cavern floor beside Link. Link leaned against his side, sighing as the warmth returned, while Sheik played the magical notes. Link lifted his ocarina and echoed them, but let it fall again immediately after. His eyes were half closed and he leaned a bit more on Sheik.

"Do I need to hurry?" he asked, his voice flat with exhaustion.

"Well..." Sheik hesitated. Link seemed so tired. And what was done was done. Ruto was within the Temple. Making her wait just a little bit longer would do no harm. "You can rest tonight, and go in the morning."

"Yes, that sounds good." Link rested his head against Sheik's shoulder, obviously so tired he wasn't thinking straight. Sheik knew Link should leave, find somewhere warmer to stay. Kakariko wasn't that far away, he could be there before midnight, and probably find a bed to rest in, not a cold stone floor made bearable only by magic. But Sheik's heart was racing again, and he couldn't bring himself to move. The feel of Link so close was like a dream, a wonderful dream. If he moved the dream would end.

Though a moment later he had to move, as Link fell asleep and started sliding off his shoulder. Sheik roused him enough for him to take off his pack and his sword and lay down. Link pillowed his head on his pack and immediately was asleep again, despite the hard floor. Sheik sat beside him, his hand resting gingerly on him to keep the warming spell intact.

Some time later Sheik woke, groggily aware that he was very uncomfortable. He had fallen asleep where he sat, and was awkwardly draped over Link. Thankfully the spell kept itself going without need for his conscious direction, so they were both still warm, but the position was straining even his flexible frame. He shifted, lying down beside Link, but with his hand still resting atop him, and drifted off to sleep once again.

Sheik woke again, aware that it was morning, though inside the cavern the light hadn't changed. But he was attuned to the waxing and waning of shadows, and outside the sun had risen enough to begin chasing them away.

Sheik was also aware of a weight on him, and a warmth against his back. His breath caught when he realized that it was Link. Some time during the night they had both moved, and now Link was spooned around him, his arm draped over him. Sheik could feel Link's breath as he snored softly against the back of his neck. He held perfectly still, even holding his breath for a moment before realizing that was ridiculous. _What should I do? Should I wake him? He's going to be mortified! He __doesn't actually like me, and here we've spent the night together as if we were... were... lovers or something._

Link made a drowsy sound and shifted slightly, his arm tightening around Sheik.

_Thrice... I can't move. I don't want to move. I should but I can't! I want this so much._ A sense of heartbreak rose up within Sheik. Here he was, in the arms of the one he admired, obsessed over, and was coming all too close to loving. But even if Link didn't push him away in horror when he woke, this moment would be all they could possibly have. Duty... Duty called him to his doom. There was no time, not even for the Hero of Time, to pause for any other such moments. It would be wrong to ask it of him even if Link was willing. And later, when there would be time aplenty, there would be no Sheik, only the princess Zelda. _I would still be her... I would still be with him, perhaps. I know he cares for her. But... no, I can't even imagine it. I can't picture myself being her, it's not real. All I can picture is that I'll end, and somehow she will begin. That's how it has to be. _

Sheik found tears gathering in his eyes. It was sweet to lie here, and yet it was bitter, so very bitter, knowing that it would end all too soon, one way or another. His doom was coming. His thoughts always seemed to circle around to the same thing. _I was going to stop thinking about Link as anything but the Hero of Time. I was going to be in control of myself. But all my resolutions have been shattered just by his touch. I can't help myself. Thrice, what kind of Sheikah am I, that I can't even discipline my own emotions? _

He felt Link stir again, and tried to get his tears under control.

"Sheik? Are you all right?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Link's arm was still over Sheik, and he squeezed gently. "For keeping me from freezing to death?"

"I... I don't know." Sheik sniffled, trying not to cry more.

"You're obviously not all right. What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just... just nothing." Sheik rolled away from Link and got to his feet. "We need to go. You need to play the song and go to the Water Temple. And I have my duty, I can't abandon it."

Link hesitated, then nodded and rose as well. "Yes. We both have our duty. But... I hope I will see you again?"

Sheik's heart jumped again, and he struggled to calm it. Link wanted to see him again? "Yes. I'm still your guide. That's part of my duty."

Link nodded, and started to buckle on his baldric. "Until we meet again, then."

"Yes." Sheik felt traitorous tears threaten to come again, so he once more threw a deku nut at his feet, and while Link was blinking away the flash he wrapped the cavern's shadows around himself and was gone.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"I can't keep doing this to myself," muttered Sheik aloud. He was once again waiting for Link. This time he stood on a small island in the midst of Lake Hylia, just above the Water Temple.

Every single time he'd seen Link he had lost control, had started obsessing, had thought things he shouldn't think. And now he was doing it again, even before Link had appeared. He kept remembering that night in the ice cave. He had passed the next night alone, while Link was still somewhere in the Temple below, and all he had been able to think about was the memory of Link's arm over him, and the warmth of Link's body against his back.

_I am a failure as a Sheikah. I shouldn't even claim the name, I have no control. And how can I continue in my duty when all I feel is dread and guilt? I sent Ruto to her doom. I see nothing ahead but my own doom. How can I go on? _

A sound below dragged him from his self-flagellation. The lake was gurgling as fresh water flowed into it once more. Link had succeeded once more.

A bell-like tone heralded the arrival of Link from the Sacred Realm. "Sheik!" he called as his feet touched the ground. His face was lit up with a broad, excited grin.

Sheik couldn't help but smile back. "The water is rising, and the evil here is gone. You've done it!"

"Yes!" He laughed, and just then the sun peeked over the horizon, painting his hair a vivid gold. "Oh, Ruto said to give you her thanks," he added.

Sheik stared at Link in shock. "She... she what?"

"She told me, when I saw her in the Sacred Realm after killing Morpha, 'When you see Sheik, give him my thanks."

"But... but why?"

"Didn't you rescue her?"

"I sent her to her doom, is what I did. I sent her to her death. How could she thank me for that?!"

Link stared at Sheik, his eyed wide. "Her... death? But she's alive."

Sheik shook his head. "In a way. Sages stand between worlds. Between this world and the Sacred Realm. And between life and death. They must die while inside their temples in order to awaken as sages. I did save her from freezing, but it was only so I could send her into the Water Temple, to be killed by Morpha, or whatever other monster found her first. And I didn't tell her. I knew she wouldn't go if I told her. So I lied and said she would be safe. And she trusted me and went, and died."

Link shook his head. "You shouldn't feel guilty. Maybe that's why she told me to thank you for her. Maybe she knew or guessed, that you'd feel guilty. But you only did what you had to, and she seems happy to be a sage."

"I did my duty," Sheik said bitterly. "Like all Sheikah do."

"We all have our duties," said Link gently. "We are both doing what we must in order to save Hyrule."

"That's easy for you to say. You're the hero! You haven't had to send other people off to die. You haven't had to... to... to watch as the one who raised you goes to her death. You don't know anything about duty."

Links expression darkened and his blue eyes flashed with anger. "Don't you dare say that! I don't know anything about duty? I've given _everything_ to this duty of mine. I never asked to be the Hero of Time! Nobody came up to me and asked what I wanted. They just told me it was my destiny, and if I didn't do it, everybody would die! I haven't got a choice! If I did have a choice I'd still be a Kokiri! That's all I knew and that's all I wanted! I'd rather be the boy without a fairy than the hero, if it were up to me!" Sheik stepped back, shocked by the sudden outpouring. But Link wasn't done. He was shouting now, his face twisted with long-repressed anger. "And don't tell me I haven't seen the one who raised me going to die! You just said that the sages are dead! Saria was the only mother I ever knew, my best friend, and the person I thought would be with me forever! We were Kokiri! You talk about being a Sheikah, but do you know anything about what it means to be Kokiri?! It means we thought we had eternity! And then suddenly we didn't, and now you say she's dead! Or some kind of ghost, or whatever the sages are, but it means I've lost her! I knew that as soon as I saw her again. She's gone, and things can never be what they were, no matter how this all ends! And everything I ever knew is a lie anyway. I'm a Hylian. The Deku sprout told me that as if it would make me happy, but all it did was destroy everything I ever knew! I thought it was some strange spell, that I had become an adult. Now I find out that it was just me growing up, that I never had any other choice but to grow up. No Kokiri wants to grow up. No Kokiri even knows _how_ to grow up, and I had to grow up all at once, in a single instant! I don't know who I am anymore, or what I'm doing! Sometimes I'm not even sure how I can keep doing it! But I've gone on anyway, because if I don't nobody else will. And then you tell me that I don't know anything about duty!"

He stopped, panting. For a long moment there was utter silence. Even the gurgling of the lake refilling had stopped.

"I'm sorry," whispered Sheik.

Link sighed, the anger draining out of him in an instant. "I'm sorry too. None of that is your doing, any more than your duty, or destiny, are mine. Just... I know all too well what you mean when you talk about duty. Don't ever claim that I don't understand."

"I'm sorry," Sheik repeated, feeling horrible. What had he been thinking, to believe that Link had an easy life? He had been so caught up in his own problems that it hadn't even crossed his mind that Link would have troubles as well.

"It's all right." Link put his hand on Sheik's shoulder. "I never said anything about it to you. I haven't spoken to anyone about how I feel. So you couldn't have known. So don't blame yourself."

"Thanks," said Sheik, unable to think of anything else to say.

"So is this where you vanish in a flash of light?" Link smiled gently at him.

Sheik laughed weakly. "Yeah, probably."

"Why do you always do that?"

"It's the Sheikah way. To create a sense of mystery. To hide the secrets of how we come and go."

"There are secrets?"

"There are some, yes. But this time I would probably have just jumped up into the tree there or into the lake. No need to use magic when sleight of hand will suffice."

Link chuckled. "I see. But you say 'would have'. Does that mean you're staying for a while?"

"I... I'm just supposed to guide you, Link. I'm not supposed to be your travel companion."

"Heh. True enough. And I should go as well. The next Temple awaits. The one hidden beneath a graveyard, I think you said? I can guess where that might lie."

"Yes..." The thought was sobering. The Shadow Temple. Where even now Impa might be within. If she still lived, she could not remain living for long. If the Temple's dangers didn't kill her, she would take her own life in order to fulfill her duty.

"What?"

"Just... nothing. I don't think I want to talk, or think, any more about it. Go, and do what you must. I'll do the same."

"All right. But you don't need to vanish and wait for me to leave. Walk with me, at least out to Hyrule Field."

Sheik hesitated, then nodded. "All right."

Link smiled. Then he reached out and took Sheik's hand in his. Sheik's heart jumped once more. The touch felt electrifying. _No. I'm not going to obsess over him. I shouldn't, I can't... but... _He looked over, and met Link's eyes, deep blue touched to warmth by the morning sun. _But I can't help myself._ Sheik sighed softly, and answered Link's smile with one of his own.

"Sheik! Sheik! Come swiftly to Kakariko!"

Impa's voice echoed in Sheik's ears, though the other Sheikah was many miles away. He had been once more shadowing Link as Link made the final preparations before braving the Shadow Temple. But at the mental summons he didn't hesitate, he left Link in the middle of Hyrule Field and went by shadow to Kakariko. As soon as he stepped out of the darkness he knew something was wrong. The air smelled of smoke and the village seemed deserted.

And the shadows, everywhere, lay a little thicker than they should. The dark, beating heart of shadow that had always lain beneath the graveyard, where the Shadow Temple held its bloody secrets, was strong but quiescent. But the lesser darkness that lurked directly beneath the town itself was pulsing eagerly with black life.

"Sheik." Impa strode up to him, sword in hand.

"Impa! What's going on?"

"The evil I once sealed within the well is breaking free. Ganondorf's doing, I'm sure. Even still sealed it's grown powerful enough to reach the minds of the townsfolk. There has been violence and arson already. Soon the seal on the well will be broken entirely and the spirit within will be free. And when that happens, things will get very bad indeed. I've sent the villagers outside its reach, but if it's free, nothing in Hyrule will be safe from it."

"What do we do?"

"You stay here, try to hold it. I must go within the Shadow Temple and wake the darkness there."

"What?"

"Shadow is a jealous power, Sheik. The darkness in the Shadow Temple will allow no rivals. If I rouse it, it will draw in this lesser shadow. And though that evil may taint it, the shadows will be pure again once the hero comes."

"Impa..." Sheik wanted to ask her to stay, or to volunteer to go in her stead. But he was not skilled enough in shadow magic to deal with the Temple. Impa was the only one who could go.

"It's always been my destiny, Sheik. You know that."

"But..."

Impa shook her head. "Whether I fail or succeed matters very little. All that matters is that I go. And Link will not fail. Not with you to guide him."

"Me? All I've done is tell him where to go. He doesn't really need me."

Impa smiled. "You are still learning wisdom, even as he is still learning courage. But I think you'll soon find that you've done much more than that for him. Now I must go. Hold the spirit within the well as long as you can."

Impa turned and sprinted across the village, leaving Sheik looking after her. But a pulse of black power dragged his attention to the task at hand. He ran to the well and focused his will on the disintegrating seal within. He wove shadows through it, holding the tainted darkness that fought to escape with bars of purified shadow.

The thing within fought back, and Sheik was soon sweating with effort. It was hard to hold it back. The smell of burning was growing stronger. Somewhere nearby a house was on fire. But Sheik could do nothing about that, all his attention was focused on holding the spirit within the well. The seal was growing weaker and weaker, and Sheik's magic was not enough alone. It wouldn't hold much longer...

Then familiar footsteps sounded close behind him. Link!

The distraction was too much. His hold crumbled along with the last of the seal, and tainted power came roaring up the well's black throat.

"Link! Get back" shouted Sheik. Even as Link turned to run the spirit exploded from the well, sending the beams that had once held a bucket high into the air. They landed some distance away with a clatter. Link turned back to the well, his sword and shield raised. Sheik could see the black cloud that hovered over him, but to Link it was no doubt invisible. A grasping hand reached out of the darkness at Link, and without thinking Sheik jumped in front of it. It lifted him into the air, whipping him around, and flung him to the ground and into a darkness more profound than shadow.

Sheik blinked awake to find that only a few seconds had passed. Link was standing over him, sword at ready, turning ceaselessly to try and see the path of an invisible threat. Sheik just had time to open his eyes before another disembodied hand of shadow grabbed Link and hoisted him in the air. Sheik scrambled to his feet, gathering power, but before he could act the spirit slammed Link into the ground. It picked him up and slammed him down again, and then again, before dropping Link's now limp form. Sheik shouted an angry battle cry and struck at the tainted darkness with a bolt of pure shadow. The thing let out a thin cry of pain. Then suddenly it halted.

It hovered in mid-air, a roiling blot of black, then it raced away to the north, towards the graveyard and the temple beneath.

Sheik didn't follow it, instead he knelt beside Link. Some of the fear knotting his stomach eased when he saw that Link was breathing.

A rumble sounded overhead, and rain began to patter down around them. The rain quickly increased to a torrential downpour. It began to put out the fire that burned nearby, but it also began to soak Link and Sheik quite thoroughly. Sheik put a hand on Link's chest. Shadow magic was not well suited for healing, but he could at least try and sense the extent of Link's injuries.

He could sense Link's life force, and it was still strong, but it was being drained. Something within him was wrong, broken or bleeding he couldn't tell, and Link might yet die if he didn't get healing.

The rain on his face roused Link, and his eyes fluttered open. He looked up at Sheik, pain clearly visible on his face. "What... happened?"

"The evil spirit is gone for now. But you're hurt. Don't move," he added as Link tried to sit up, "you might make it worse."

Link winced and lay back down. "Yeah. I have some potion..."

"Good." Sheik carefully pulled Link's pack free and dug through it until he found a bottle filled with red fluid. He held it to Link's lips so he could drink.

After he had swallowed, some of the pain on Link's face eased. "That's better."

Sheik placed his hand over Link's heart once more, then nodded. His life force was no longer weakening, and it was probably safe to move him. "Let's get out of the rain." He helped Link to his feet, and they limped to a nearby house, which Sheik recognized as having once belonged to Impa, many years ago. The door was unlocked, and the house showed every sign of a hasty departure. Inside there was a fire burning. Link, still limping but looking at least a little bit better, made a beeline for it. He stood in front of it, dripping.

Sheik came to stand next to him. The warmth felt good on his soaked skin. They were both leaving puddles beneath them. After a moment Link stripped off his tunic, and the undershirt beneath it. He wrung them out and spread them on a chair next to the fire. Sheik couldn't help but notice that Link's bare torso was very firmly muscled, lean and yet obviously quite strong. There were a few scars there, evidence of the price he'd already paid on this quest. But they didn't detract from his handsomeness at all. Link glanced over at Sheik, who was not only still fully dressed, but still wearing his mask, and raised his eyebrows inquisitively. Sheik shook his head in response to the wordless question. Link chuckled.

They stood there in silence for some time. After a while Sheik started to shiver a bit. It wasn't that cold, but he was completely soaked, and the fire could only warm him on one side at a time.

He was considering a warming spell, and whether the power required would be worth it for something this minor, when Link stepped behind him and put his arms around him. Sheik froze in something like shock.

"Let me warm you this time," said Link quietly in his ear.

"A-all right," said Sheik, trying not to stammer like an idiot. He tried to relax, but his heart was racing. Link, however, simply stood still, a warm presence pressed against his back, and eventually Sheik was able to regain his calm. He closed his eyes and leaned back into Link's embrace just a bit. They stood like that for a very long time, the only sound the crackling of the flames.

After a long time, when they were both no longer soaked, though perhaps still somewhat damp, Link shifted, loosening his embrace. Though before he stepped away he turned his head and kissed Sheik on the cheek, just above his mask. Then he stepped back. Sheik, shocked and flustered once again, turned to look at him. Link's cheeks were touched with red, but he merely said, "I think my tunic is dry, and I should probably be leaving. The Shadow Temple needs to be dealt with."

"Yes. The Shadow Temple." That thought was sobering enough to calm Sheik's racing pulse. "You'll need to be able to see the unseen, if you are to go there."

"Can you tell me how?"

"There is an artifact inside the well. Though the well itself is blocked off. But I am fairly certain the artifact is still there."

"Then I'll figure out how to find it," said Link with a confident nod.

"I'm sure you will. Before you go, you'll need a song. Play it to reach the Shadow Temple."

Link lifted his ocarina, and once more he and Sheik played together. Sheik felt a pang of regret at the thought that there was only one temple remaining, one more occasion to guide Link on his quest. He almost wanted to ask Link to postpone visiting the Temple, to stay here with him for just one night. But duty prevailed and so he simply played, and said nothing.

When the music ended Link pulled his tunic over his head and donned his sword. "Until we meet again," he said, and then he was gone out into the rain that still pattered gently down outside.

The desert's shadows were stark and black. There were few of them, but they were strong, and Sheik had no trouble following Link to the Desert Colossus. Link had emerged victorious from the Shadow Temple the day before, and now had nearly crossed the haunted waste that barred the way to the Spirit Temple. Sheik had not spoken to him since Kakariko Village.

Sheik felt a shadow on his heart as he walked through shadows, always staying near Link, but never within sight. He was still mourning Impa, and he was also still conflicted. His emotions tugged him in too many different directions. He wanted to tell Link how he felt, but he didn't even know what he would say, or if he should remain silent. Sheik found himself rehearsing possible conversations where he confessed his feelings. All of the imagined phrases sounded wrong. He needed to speak to Link only two more times. Once to teach him a final song and then... then once more, before the end. So if he was to say anything of how he felt, he must say it soon.

All too soon Link reached the Colossus. He went directly inside, and Sheik climbed atop the stone arch that stood without and waited. Link would be back before long. And then Sheik would have to speak to him once more and give him the final song.

When Link emerged, Sheik leapt down from the arch and stood in his path.

There was a long silence, and they both simple looked at each other for some time. Finally it was Link who spoke first. "Crossing the sand was very difficult. And I see one of those seals here. Do you have a song to teach me, so I don't have to make that journey again?"

"Yes," said Sheik simply, and took out his lyre.

Link raised his ocarina, and once more Sheik played and Link followed. And as he had done what seemed like an eternity ago, when he taught Link the Prelude of Light, Sheik didn't stop playing when the song had been learned. He played on, and Link with him, their notes rising together on the still desert air.

Finally they halted, and there was silence once again between them. Link took a few steps closer. "Sheik," he said, and then stopped, as if uncertain what to say. Sheik's pulse was racing again, but he too could think of no words. Finally Link said, "Sheik? Why do you wear a mask?"

"I can't say."

"You're not... disfigured?"

Sheik almost laughed at the solemn concern in Link's voice. "No! Not at all."

"Then why can't I see what you look like? This is the final temple, isn't it? I... I can't count on seeing you again after this, can I? Let me see you without the mask."

"I can't. I'm sorry. I just... can't. But you'll see me once more, I promise."

"When?"

"At the Temple of Time. I... There is something you'll need to know before facing Ganondorf."

"And after that I'll go, and fight Ganondorf. And either he'll die, or I will... Sheik, I don't want to die without having seen your face. Please..."

"At the temple of time I promise that you'll be able to see beneath this mask." _See that other person, almost forgotten, who I must somehow become again..._

"Why not now?" Link was standing close. Too close. Sheik's heart was pounding. Link reached out, touched him, brushed his fingers against Sheik's cheek. Sheik froze for a moment, then stepped back.

"Please... I must go. Our duty... There is no time to waste with this, Link."

"Our duty! What good is being a Hero of Time if I can't make time for... for... for someone I love?"

Sheik felt those words as an almost physical shock. Link? Love? He couldn't possibly love Sheik. He was supposed to love Zelda, the princess. "You don't mean that. You can't mean that. Link..."

"Sheik I..."

"No! Don't say it. Please. You have your duty. I have mine. You need to go, and cleanse the Temple, free the final sage. I have things I must do as well. And those things..." _Soon I won't even exist. You shouldn't love me. You can't love me. How could the universe be so cruel, as to make you fall in love with someone doomed, like me? Love the princess, when she returns, not me! _"Those things mean you can't love me Link."

"That doesn't make any sense. Sheik, please..."

"No!" In something like desperation Sheik called power, hiding himself in a gust of sand and shadow.

Link squinted into the sudden sandstorm. When it cleared a moment later he looked around, frustration written on his face. "Sheik!" he called out, but Sheik pulled the darkness more tightly around him and stepped out of shadows on the far slope of Death Mountain, as far from the desert as he could get and still stay within Hyrule.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Sheik sat in shadow and brooded. He was nowhere in particular, within the darkness through which he traveled when he went from shadow to shadow. It was the special realm of the Sheikah and so it was now Sheik's alone. From shadow he had watched as Link had emerged from the Spirit Temple, once again victorious over the evil that had tainted it. Now he was on his way to the Temple of Time.

Sheik's final task would be to meet him there and then...

_Then I cease to exist, and somehow Zelda returns. I know the spell, the one I use to lay Sheik to rest and become Zelda again. I just don't know if I actually want to cast it. But what choice have I? Duty calls, and a Sheikah must answer. I swore my oath to the royal family, I won't be forsworn._

But a cowardly voice within him asked, _aren't you really the princess? Wasn't that oath sworn to yourself? Release yourself from it and flee Hyrule. You can live out your life outside its borders as Sheik, you don't have to die._

_ Yes, _he answered himself_, live out my life alone. Do you think he'll flee with you? He's the bearer of Courage. He'll stay and fight. You'll live a coward, alone and unloved. You have to stay, for his sake. _

A wisp of magic told him that Link had reached the Temple of Time. _ Time. Which has run out for me. It's time for me to decide, and I guess I know what I have to choose. It's time for me to die._

He rose and stepped out of shadow into the Temple.

"I've been waiting for you, Link." Sheik's voice was somehow calm. Fear still lurked somewhere in the back of his mind, but now that the moment had arrived it seemed very distant. He was here. Link was here. Destiny would play out as it must.

"Sheik." Link took a step towards him, his hand lifting as though to touch him, then dropping.

"The Hero of Time. You've overcome everything placed in your path. The six sages are awake. Now there is only one challenge remaining."

"Ganondorf."

"The King of Thieves. The bearer of Power."

"I'm ready to fight him now."

"Yes. But... there is one thing I must show you first."

"Your promise..." said Link softly.

Sheik turned away and looked up at the ceiling, where light streamed in from windows high above. "Do you know the nature of the Triforce?"

"Uhm...?" Link trailed off, obviously confused.

"That it has three parts, that is commonly known. Some even know their names, Power, Courage, and Wisdom. If someone would hold the Triforce, his heart must contain all three in balance, else the Triforce will divide itself, and he will be left holding only the piece most true to his nature."

"What does that have to do with..."

Sheik continued, ignoring Link's attempt to interrupt. "Ganondorf does not have a balanced heart. Power is what he loves, and Power is what he now holds. The other two pieces have sought out other bearers. Those bearers will be marked by the sign of the Triforce. A sign that you may perhaps be familiar with."

Link looked down at his gauntleted hand. Sheik knew the Triforce mark must lie there, though he had never seen it. Link nodded understanding.

"You bear the Triforce of Courage. And the third piece is born by someone you know well. The princess Zelda."

"Zelda." Link's expression was troubled. "I had nearly forgotten... You said she was safe, and that I could see her again when I had found the sages. But I still don't understand what that has to do with your promise."

"I will show you." Sheik reached up and removed the mask that he had hidden behind for so long.

Link stared at him, frowning. Sheik knew that he must seem familiar. His face was Zelda's face. And yet, of course, it wasn't. Older, with red eyes, his hair bound back... It might take Link some time to realize what he was seeing. Sheik didn't want to wait. He was ready, and there was no point in further delays. He took one last breath, steadying himself, and lifted his hands to cast his final spell. Magic flowed through him. The Triforce mark he bore began to glow, making Link gasp in shock. The light grew brighter, expanding and strengthening until Link had to shield his eyes.

In that moment of light, when magic flowed around Sheik, changing everything from his eyes to his clothing, something else happened. Something outside the scope of the spell he had cast. He felt as though he were suspended in space. It was very like being within shadow, but everything around him was bright rather than dark, and a rainbow of colors whirled and danced around him. The rainbow of light was wonderful. It flowed into him, around him, through him. It spoke to him, not with words, but in a wordless burst of understanding, and suddenly he knew.

_I am a sage._

"Yes. The Seventh sage, the Sage of Hyrule. Our leader. All six powers answer to you now." Sheik looked, and saw Rauru, the Sage of Light, standing before him.

"How? Sages have to die..."

"And is Sheik not dead? Zelda may yet live, but you have died, my child. You died within your Temple, the Temple of Time. And now you have awakened."

"I see." And he did. He saw so much! The history of Hyrule, the nature of the six powers, the nature of the Triforce itself, and the nature of the enemy the hero now faced.

"He'll fail, won't he?"

"If he goes with no further preparation, yes."

"Then I must give him what he needs... I must..."

"You must grant him the power of light, the one power Ganondorf has never managed to corrupt, in a form he can use. And then you must go with him, for even with light, alone he will still fail."

"I'll go then."

"The future isn't certain, even to sages. If you go, you may die a death with no awakening."

"I'll go all the same."

"Why?"

Sheik paused. Somehow he knew that he couldn't lie here, in this place. "Because I love him," he said finally.

Rauru nodded. "Yes. And that too is something Ganondorf has never managed to corrupt. Go then, with love, with light, and with my blessing."

"Thank you," said Sheik. The light around him began to fade. As it did he heard something, faint but clear.

"When it's over, don't despair. You are young, and all your life is before you. Many things that seem insurmountable can be overcome with time."

Then he was back in the Temple of Time, where Link was still shielding his eyes, all that having taken place in a single instant. The last of the light faded, and Link lowered his hand and gaped at what he saw.

The warrior Sheikah was gone. In his place stood the princess Zelda, dressed in her royal regalia of pink and white and gold. Her hair no longer bound into a severe tail, but loose and flowing. Her eyes no longer Sheikah red, but as blue as Link's own. And the Triforce still glowed on the back of her hand.

"Zelda?" said Link softly, incredulously.

"Yes, it is I."

"You... you were Sheik all along?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. But it was necessary. Ganondorf has searched for me all this time. If he'd found me..."

"I understand."

"I became Sheik the same day you drew the Master Sword. And then all I could do was wait for you to return, for without the Master Sword no one could oppose Ganondorf's evil."

Link nodded. "I'm here now, and I'm ready."

"Almost. You need one thing more before you're ready to face the King of Evil. You need the power of light. Give me your arrows."

Link didn't question, he simply nodded and took the quiver out of his pack. He held it out to Zelda, and she put her hands over it. Once again she glowed with magic, and this time when the power faded the quiver itself still glowed faintly.

Before either of them could speak again, the light coming in through the windows darkened, and there was a rumbling like an earthquake. Dust sifted down around them from the rafters above.

"That rumbling..." Zelda recognized the power behind it. Black power, not of shadow but of evil, that suddenly wrapped around her and solidified. Link dashed forward, but it was already too late, Zelda was encased in a prism of magic. His hands touched it, but couldn't touch her within.

"Zelda!"

A dark voice echoed Link's cry, but with satisfied contempt rather than desperation. "Zelda! I commend you for escaping my notice for so long. But now you've let your guard down. I knew you would, eventually."

Zelda scowled. "Ganondorf."

"Quite so. I am very surprised you both got this far. I underestimated you. But no. I underestimated the power of the Triforce. And I know you both hold pieces of it. As do I. I have the Triforce of Power. And now, little boy, I hold Wisdom in my hand." Zelda felt the dark power tightening around her, suffocatingly thick. The world began to fade away, but before she blacked out she heard Ganondorf say, "If you want to rescue your princess, boy, come to my Castle. Bring your courage, you will sorely need it!"

Zelda rose slowly from a sea of nightmare blackness to an awareness of sound. Music echoed around her. She opened her eyes, and found she was still imprisoned within a prism of power. It hovered high above a large open chamber, and when she looked down she saw the source of the music. Ganondorf was sitting before a great organ, playing.

The music stopped and Ganondorf looked up at her. "Your hero is almost here, princess."

Zelda tried to gather shadow around her and step outside her prison, but nothing happened. She reached next for light, but that didn't answer her call either. She was cut off from her magic.

"You can't escape. But don't worry. You'll be free soon enough. When the third piece of the Triforce arrives, born by your ever-so-helpful hero, I'll claim the power of all three, and then I won't need you any more." He smiled darkly up at her, and Zelda knew he wasn't speaking of simply releasing her. He would kill her, when he had what he wanted.

"Link won't let you win," she said.

Ganondorf laughed. "He's just a boy. Though I'll admit he's dealt with the challenges I've set in his path surprisingly well. He does indeed have courage. But how can mere courage stand up against pure power? He will fail, and I will rule. It's that simple."

Ganondorf turned back to his organ, and began to play again.

A moment later the door slid open and Link stepped into the room. He strode with ready confidence, looking every inch the hero that Zelda knew he was. He stopped, taking in the scene before him.

Zelda felt a strange pulse of power pass through her. Her hand tingled and she looked down to see her Triforce mark glowing. Across the room Link's hand glowed as well. And beneath Zelda Ganondorf's hand, its fingers still moving over the organ, glowed too, though he seemed to ignore it.

"Ganondorf!" called Link.

Ganondorf stopped playing, but didn't turn. "The three are becoming one again," he said. Then he laughed darkly. "And that one will quite soon be mine." Finally he rose and turned. "You can't keep the other pieces from me any longer."

Suddenly the room turned dark. Ganondorf held up his still glowing hand, and darkness pulsed from it. Zelda felt the darkness pull at her, tugging at her hand. Link below braced himself against the same pull. But he wasn't ready to give in. He lifted the bow that he had been casually holding and pulled a glowing arrow from his quiver. In one smooth motion he nocked and shot it. The light seemed to shatter the waves of darkness emanating from Ganondorf, who cried out in rage.

And then the battle was joined.

Zelda could do nothing but look on, her heart in her throat, as Link and Ganondorf fought. Ganondorf used black magic freely, but Link countered or dodged it, even sent it back in his teeth with the Master Sword. Link was soon battered and sweating, but his determined expression didn't change. And after what seemed like an eternity of combat, Link ran Ganondorf though.

Zelda's heart leapt in joy. Then her sage's awareness told her that it wasn't finished yet. And indeed Ganondorf didn't fall immediately. Blood trickled from his mouth, but he stayed on his feet and shouted. "No. I cannot have been beaten by a child!" He raised his arms and blackness boiled around him. Link stepped back. Power exploded outward from Ganondorf, shattering the room itself, sending glass and stone flying out in all directions. But when Zelda could see again, she saw that Link was unharmed, and Ganondorf lay prone on the floor.

The prism that held her weakened, and she reached for shadow instinctively, then paused, and pulled light to her instead. She didn't want to touch the tainted darkness here. She lowered herself to the floor and banished the prism. Link smiled at her, that same bright, welcoming smile that she had seen as Sheik. She smiled back, though inside her stomach was twisting. She didn't know how to be Zelda. She had been Sheik for too long. What should she do? What should she say to the hero who had saved her?

She had no chance to decide, for suddenly the ground began to shake. The tower, raised by Ganondorf's black power, was falling. "Link! We need to go now, before the tower collapses. Follow me!"

She ran for the stairs with Link close behind. Her skirts swirled around her legs, slowing her, and she mentally cursed them. She had prepared a spell to return her to a princess's appearance, clothing at all. Now she wished she'd readied a spell to go the other way, Sheik's practical uniform would be infinitely preferable to trying to run in the restrictive dress.

But despite the dress, and despite the obstacles that Ganondorf had somehow placed in their path, she and Link both managed to escape the tower before it collapsed entirely. From a safe distance they watched the black spires sink to the ground. Zelda was panting, and Link was out of breath as well, so they said nothing for a long time. At last, when the tower was nothing but a pile of rubble, Link said, "It's over."

Zelda opened her mouth to reply, then stopped. It wasn't over. The black power was still there, pulsing, alive, and somehow growing stronger. Link looked over at her. Zelda shook her head. "It isn't over."

"He's still alive?" asked Link incredulously.

"Yes."

Link sighed. "All right." He drew his sword and strode back towards the ruins, his expression grimly determined.

Zelda wanted to stop him, but instead she merely called out, "The power I sense is very strong. Be careful."

Link looked back and nodded before continuing forward. He took two more steps, and a wall of fire sprang up between him and Zelda. He halted and turned. Zelda, feeling her stomach sinking, reached out to the fire. Fire should answer to her hand as easily as light or shadow. But the wall was tainted, and resisted her touch. She scowled at it. Link shrugged and turned away again, continuing forward.

Ahead of him something stirred in the rubble. Zelda knew before he leapt clear of the heap in a burst of power. It was Ganondorf, somehow still alive. But he was not the arrogant, collected king they had seen above. There was something animalistic about him now. His eyes were glowing, and he was panting, a dark, unhinged chuckle emerging with every breath. His hand glowed once more, the Triforce symbol on it burning with eye-searing brightness.

Zelda's eyes went wide. He was giving himself wholly over to the Triforce of Power. He would cease to be Ganondorf and become something else entirely, a being made up of nearly pure magic, a demon of power.

"Link!" she called out, wanting to warn him, but Link was striding determinedly forward, his sword raised, his attention focused entirely on his foe. Ganondorf loomed above him, his transformation nearly complete. He let out a roar, his face now that of a demonic pig, tusked and horned, his hands, each one as big as Link itself, holding long daggers made from pure power. He swung them, and Link met the blow with the Master Sword... which flew from his hand to land outside the wall of flame.

"Thrice-damned bastard!" shouted Zelda, filled with helpless rage. She had a sudden flash of memory, one of her childhood tutors had told her that a princess never swore. But Princess or Sheikah, she wanted Ganondorf damned to the lowest of hells! Link was unarmed now, and in horrible danger, facing something made of elemental power, something far beyond his abilities.

But Link didn't seem afraid. And apparently he wasn't unarmed either, for a moment later he had pulled a war hammer from his pack. With that same expression of grim determination on his face he once more advanced on his foe.

Zelda held her breath as the demon swung his immense blades again, but Link rolled aside easily. The demon was huge, the embodiment of power, but it was also slow. And it seemed that Power would be outmatched by Courage, for Link danced easily around the demon, hitting it again and again, while never once being hit by it.

It roared in pain each time it was struck, but it didn't fall no matter how often Link smashed the hammer into it. _It's just an ordinary weapon, _Zelda realized. _He needs the Master Sword!_ She looked around for it, and found it not far away. _I'll be thrice-damned if I'm going to just stand here and do nothing! _She ran to the sword and picked it up. "Link!" she called out. Link dodged yet another blow, and sprinted clear of the demon before looking over at Zelda. Seeing the sword in her hand he grinned and nodded. She flung it over the fire, and he dove and snatched it up, the demon close on his heels but not fast enough to stop him.

And with the Master Sword in his hand the battle was soon over. Once more Ganondorf fell. And as he fell the fire barrier broke.

_Now is the time to use your power, _sage, said Rauru's voice in her head. But even before he said it, Zelda knew what to do. She raised her hands and light welled up in them. A beam of energy, light and shadow, fire and water, forest and spirit, the elements of Hyrule, all struck at the demon of Power. But he roared and struggled against the beam, trying to get to his feet. "Your sword!" called out Zelda. The Master Sword suddenly glowed, as six sages reached from the Sacred Realm to infuse it with their magic. Link struck again, and the demon roared with what must surely be its death cry.

But still the power pulsed darkly in it. What would it take to kill it? Then Zelda understood. Having given himself over to Power, Ganondorf couldn't die unless Power itself did. Which was impossible. But there was a way...

_Yes. Now that Link has weakened him, let us finish this,_ said Rauru, and Zelda felt his magic reach through her, with the magic of the other six. Pure energy wrapped Ganondorf and pulled him out of reality, into the Sacred Realm itself, where a seal formed, a crystalline thing of six colors, that would hold him hopefully forever.

"_Now_ it's over," said Zelda.

"Thank the Three," said Link, and he sank to his knees in the rubble. He looked terrible, his clothing tattered and filthy, his body bruised and scraped. His wounds were all minor, but he was obviously completely spent.

Zelda knelt beside him. Shadow couldn't heal, but light could. So she put her hand on his shoulder, and sent healing energy flowing into him. He smiled up at her, and the warmth in his blue eyes made her heart jump once more. "Thank you," he said.

"No, it is I who should thank you. And in thanks, there is something I must do for you." Light could heal, and as she began to explore her new powers she was beginning to realize it could do other things. Including, she suddenly knew, fixing the mistake that had caused all this in the first place. So she stood, and Link rose as well, looking puzzled. With a thought Zelda pulled them both through light and shadow into the Sacred Realm.

They hovered at the heart of a gentle sea of rainbow power. Though since Link couldn't see pure elemental magic, Zelda didn't know what he saw. But to her they were surrounded by a thousand swirling, colored currents, any one of which she could draw upon.

She looked out at the sea of light, away from Link, unable to speak the words she knew must be spoken while looking at him. "You once told me that you'd given up everything for your duty."

"Zelda, I..."

"No, let me finish. It's my fault you had to. It was I who was so foolish as to think two children could control the power of the Sacred Realm. It was I who sent you on the quest that let Ganondorf reach the Triforce. All this is my fault. You aren't to blame, and it's not right that you had to give up your childhood and lose everything."

"Not everything..."

Zelda kept talking. "I can't make you into a Kokiri, you'll have to grow up no matter what happens, but I can give you back everything else you've lost. I'll send you back in time, back before we first me. You can undo all this, and live out a normal childhood in peace."

She stopped, and looked up at Link. His expression was unreadable.

"And what of you, then?" he asked. "If I go back and change everything, then none of your past will happen either. You won't have to become Sheik. Is that what you want?"

_To not be Sheik? To have always been only Zelda? Would it be easier, if I had never forgotten how to be the person I am now? Or would I be giving up something precious, if I never experienced Sheik's life?_ "I... I don't..." Zelda stopped, gathering her suddenly scattered thoughts. "No, I... I will still be..." She stopped again, and shook her head. "It's hard to explain. When you go back the time line will branch. There will be two different versions of history. In one all this will never have happened. In the other it will, so while the me that you'll meet in the past won't become Sheik, here in this branch I will still have been a Sheikah."

"I see. So I'll be leaving this world and going to another, different world."

"If you want to look at it that way, yes. It would be more accurate to say that by going back you will create another world."

"Create a world? That easily?"

"Some hold that it happens all the time, that every choice we make creates a new world."

"Ah." He frowned, considering that. "I think I understand. But I think my question still isn't quite answered. What of you, Zelda? If I go back, some other you will have a more peaceful life, you say, but what about _you_, what will you do?"

"I'll go on," said Zelda softly, unable to keep a hint of pain from her voice. "Hyrule needs its princess. There is much rebuilding to be done. So I'll go on with my duty, and do what I must."

"Duty again."

"Yes."

"And my duty is done, I suppose."

"Yes. So it's time for you to go back. Give me the ocarina, I'll need its power over time to send you back."

Link looked away from Zelda, surveying the space they hung in thoughtfully for a long moment. Then he shook his head. "No. I think I'd rather stay."

"What? But... your lost childhood..."

"I know, I did say that I'd lost everything to my duty. But that's not true. I've lost some things, and gained others. And Zelda... if I go, _you_ will have lost everything to _your _duty. I want to stay and help you. I want to make sure you have something left besides duty, even if that something is just... just a friend like me."

"Link, please... just go."

"You don't want my friendship then, Zelda?"

"I..." Zelda couldn't lie to him. "Of course I do. But it's not right. It's not fair."

"And leaving you all alone for the rest of your life is?"

"Give me the ocarina, Link. Let me send you home."

"No. It's mine now." He grinned at her suddenly. "No takebacks!"

Zelda scowled at him.

"Though I do agree it's time to go home. For both of us. Take us back to Hyrule, Zelda. As you said, there's a lot of rebuilding to do. I'd like to help with it."

Zelda stared at him, feeling exasperation and anger, but mixed with them was relief, hope, and even a touch of joy. He wanted to stay with her! "You win," she said wryly.

"The hero always wins," he replied.

Zelda laughed. "All right, let's go home."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The weeks following Ganondorf's fall were busy ones. His death had removed much of what troubled Hyrule, but the damage of seven years under his rule would not vanish in an instant. Homes still needed repair, people needed food, and all the other problems of the kingdom had not been magically solved. So Link and Zelda both were kept occupied most of the time.

But they did find time to spend talking together. They shared their life stories, though Link said, with a laugh, that his was much shorter than hers. He seemed to have lost the bitterness he'd had outside the Water Temple. He was always smiling, that same warm smile that made Zelda's heart jump. But though they spoke often, they spoke of nothing more intimate than childhood memories. And Zelda avoided all mention of Sheik, speaking mostly of what it was like to grow up as a princess.

Those memories were old, dusty, and sometimes hard to recall. Which often frustrated her nearly to tears. She didn't know how to be Zelda anymore. She found herself constantly wishing for the bindings that hid her body, for the uniform that let her move freely, even for the ties that held her hair out of the way. She had been comfortable as Sheik. As Zelda she felt constantly wrong, out of place, off balance.

If she could be Sheik again, she would be so much happier. But Sheik was dead. And Hyrule needed its princess. Duty still bound her. If only she could learn to be comfortable as Zelda. Would it take another seven years before she was at home again in her own skin?

And as Zelda it seemed that Link only wanted to be her friend. He had spoken of love to Sheik, but had said nothing of love since. Zelda avoided that topic as well. She was becoming certain that Link didn't love her, but she didn't want to hear him say it. Some part of her, perhaps the part that had been Sheik, loved him still. Hearing him say it would break her heart.

But though she did not speak of Sheik, she couldn't help but think about him often. She found herself frequently dwelling on memories. Her early training, the times she had felt triumph as she mastered some physical skill or difficult spell. Those brief days with Link, when she had guided him through the temples... She would do it all again if she could just re-live those few moments. Waking with Link's arm over her, standing close before the fire in Kakariko, the way he'd looked at her outside the Spirit Temple when he'd spoken of love...

"Zelda?" Her thoughts were interrupted by Link himself. She had been sitting on the hill above Castle Town, where already many of the homes had been repaired. The sun had set and the moon was rising over the broken rubble of Ganondorf's tower, where very soon the foundations of the new Hyrule Castle would be laid.

"Link," she said in greeting as he sat beside her.

"Rupee for your thoughts?"

Zelda shrugged. "Just... remembering."

"Remembering something sad, it looked like."

"I suppose."

"Zelda... you don't seem happy. Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"You know I'm your friend..."

She sighed. "I know."

"You've been there for me when I needed to talk. I remember when I was so angry outside the Water Temple. It did me good to tell you about it. Why not tell me what's bothering you?"

"Sheik was there for you. I... I'm not him."

"Heh. I suppose that's true. It's funny, really. Because you are the same person, and yet I have kind of missed him."

"I suppose you would." She sighed again. _Missed Sheik because you loved him, but you don't love Zelda..._

"What's that supposed to mean?" Link gave her a puzzled look.

"Nothing. Never mind."

Link reached out and touched her shoulder. "Zelda, tell me. What's bothering you?"

She turned to him, staring into those deep blue eyes. He lifted his hand from her shoulder and cupped her cheek softly, leaning closer. She leaned closer as well. Her heart was racing again. She knew he was just trying to comfort her as a friend, but she couldn't help herself. She leaned closer still and kissed him. He pulled back in surprise, and Zelda flushed. "I'm so sorry!"

Link blinked at her. Then he suddenly put his arms around her, pulling her close. "Don't be sorry," he said, and kissed her hard. She clung to him and kissed back, suddenly awash in a wonderful, joyous ocean. When Link broke off the kiss she continued to cling to him and he tightened his arms around her and held her close. She started crying, tears trickling down her cheeks and Link lifted one hand to stroke her hair soothingly.

When, after a long time, she finally loosened her grip, Link let her go. "Are you all right?"

Zelda wiped her eyes and smiled at him. "Yes. I just... I thought you didn't love me."

"I do, Zelda. Of course I do."

"You said, when I wanted to send you back, that you were my friend."

"Well, yes. You are." Link shrugged. "I didn't want to make some dramatic proclamation of how I loved you and wasn't going to leave you. That didn't seem... right. And you had been so upset outside the Spirit Temple. I thought... well, I thought you didn't love me. If I said I loved you again, I thought it would only hurt you."

"Oh."

"Is that's what was upsetting you so much, thinking I didn't love you?"

"I guess."

"I love you very much. I think I've loved you since we first met as children, in fact." He smiled at her once more, that warm, welcoming, wonderful smile.

She smiled back. "I love you too."

Zelda rested her head on his shoulder, feeling a warmth grow within her. He loved her, not Sheik. Perhaps she could be happy as Zelda after all.

The castle walls were beginning to rise. Zelda sat once more on the hill overlooking castle and town, with Link beside her. They came here often. It was a good place to look down and survey the day's work. It was also a good place to find some privacy, away from the citizens who seemed to make everything in Zelda's life their business.

She sat in front of Link, leaning back against his chest, his arms around her, and it seemed like heaven. It also seemed to be the only bit of heaven in her life. She was still struggling with learning to be Zelda. Her body still felt like it belonged to a stranger, everything about it seemed wrong. Nothing came naturally to her, and she was constantly tripping, not only over her skirts but over other people's expectations, their ideas about what a princess should be like.

Apparently many of Hyrule's citizens thought a princess should be utterly useless.

Zelda pushed that thought from her mind. She hadn't come here to brood over the way some of her newly-appointed counselors treated her as if she was made of porcelain and might break if she did a bit of real work. She'd come here to be with Link.

"You're tense," said Link.

Zelda sighed. "Yes."

"Trouble with the rebuilding?"

"Sort of. Just... some of those old goats." She scowled.

Link chuckled. "What have they done this time?"

"I'm apparently not allowed to do anything useful. I have to stay indoors and sign paperwork. The paperwork is important, I know that, but there's not so much of it that it takes all my time. I want to go out and pitch in with the actual building. But apparently they all think I might break if I set my hand to any real work."

"Heh." Link's reply was suspiciously noncommittal.

"What?"

"Well... if you didn't go out of your way to look fragile, maybe some of them wouldn't think you were."

"What?!"

"Uh. I shouldn't have said anything, I'm sorry."

Zelda scowled. "Well, now you've started saying it, you might as well finish it. What do you mean, go out of my way to look fragile?"

"That was poorly put. I know you're not trying to look fragile, and I know you like your dresses, but..."

"I hate my dresses," snapped Zelda, starting to feel annoyed.

"Oh." Link suddenly laughed. "Well then! Stop wearing them. They make you look very delicate. If you dressed more like, well..."

"Like what?"

"I was going to say like Sheik, but actually Impa might be a better example. You need to convince the 'old goats' that you're strong. Nobody tells Impa she can't pitch in, do they?"

"No..." Link was right, Impa was usually right amid the workers, doing her part. As was Link, for that matter. Zelda sighed. "You're right. You're so right. I got too attached to the idea that a princess has to wear a dress all the time. My tutors used to insist on it. But I didn't have to rebuild a kingdom when I was a child. I could wear something else to work in at least. It would be easier."

"Yes." Link smiled, and kissed her shoulder.

"I'm supposed to be the one with the wisdom. Why couldn't I figure this out myself?"

Link shrugged. "Because the hardest thing is seeing something clearly when you're inside it, I guess. You are very wise, Zelda. I've already seen you settle disputes I was certain would end with bloodshed. You're making a wonderful queen."

"I haven't been crowned yet."

"No. But you're ruling already. And coronation is just a formality."

"I guess." Zelda fell silent again. She tipped her head back against Link's chest and looked at the stars.

Link bent and kissed her shoulder again, and she relaxed a little. He smiled and moved to kiss the side of her neck. She sighed, a soft sound of pleasure. Link's kisses sent a tingling feeling through her. And his attentions were more than enough to distract her completely from her various worries. Link ventured a little further tonight than he had before and nibbled lightly on her ear. It felt good, and Zelda made a little approving sound of pleasure. Link chuckled softly in her ear and continued. Zelda closed her eyes, a soft moan escaping her. The tingling feeling was growing to an electric heat, maddening and wonderful at the same time.

She was far from experienced, but she knew enough to know where that heat led. She didn't know how far she wanted to go just yet. She did know that for the moment the last thing she wanted to do was to call a halt to what Link was doing. Especially not when he whispered gently into her ear, "I love you, Zelda."

"Oh Link..." She tipped her head back a bit further with a blissful sigh. Link took the opportunity to kiss her throat softly. Meanwhile his hands, which had been resting around her waist, slid up, and he cupped one of her breasts in one hand.

Zelda tensed. She couldn't help it. Her chest was one of the things that made her uncomfortable about being Zelda. Sheik's bindings had not only hidden her breasts with illusion, but also bound them to her body, and feeling them unbound still felt profoundly wrong.

She tried to relax. Girls were supposed to enjoy this, and she knew that boys certainly enjoyed doing it. If she could just relax a little, surely Link's touch would be pleasurable again. But she couldn't manage to let go of her tension, no matter what she tried.

Link couldn't help but notice. He let his hands fall down and simply held her. Zelda shivered, fighting off a wave of shame and confusion. What was _wrong _with her?

"Zelda? What is it?"

She leaned forward, away from him. "I'm sorry..."

"For what? It's all right, whatever it is. Really."

Zelda shook her head. She tugged herself away from his embrace, scrambling to her feet. "It's not all right. I'm not all right."

"Zelda... talk to me. Tell me what's wrong. I want to help..."

"There's nothing you can do, I'm just... I'm sorry." Tears started trickling down her cheeks.

Link got to his feet and reached out to her. Zelda suddenly wanted a deku nut to throw, a distraction so she could escape into shadow. But then Link knew about her magic, she was hardly obligated to keep a Sheikah's secrets from him. So she pulled shadow around her and vanished into darkness, away from Link, away from his touch, that should bring pleasure and instead had brought only pain.

"Zelda!" he called after her. "Zelda!" She wanted to fling curses at him. She wasn't Zelda. She couldn't be Zelda. She would never figure out how to be Zelda.

Link heaved a sigh. He looked around once again, and then started down the hill, toward the town. Zelda sat down on the ground, still wrapped in shadows, and sobbed silently. Everything about her life was all wrong, and now the one thing that had been right was going wrong as well.

The next morning, feeling a little bit calmer, if not completely at peace, Zelda set out from her room with two goals in mind. The first proved to be surprisingly easy. She acquired a set of practical clothing, including trousers rather than a skirt. Farming women apparently wore trousers often, a fact which made Zelda feel a little more certain about her decision to wear them sometimes.

Her second goal was more difficult, if only because she didn't really look forward to it. But though she put it off until after breakfast, before her first meeting of the day she found Link and apologized to him for running off the night before.

"It's all right," he said with a smile that seemed completely sincere. "I know you were upset."

"I shouldn't have been."

"You can be upset any time you like, Zelda. I don't mind. I just wish I could do more to help. If you want to talk about it...?"

She shook her head. "I have a meeting, I need to go."

"All right. But I will probably be up on the hill tonight." He smiled again. "Just in case you feel like coming up there again."

Zelda couldn't help but smile back. She felt a little lighter in heart, knowing that Link wasn't angry at her, and that she hadn't ruined everything.

The morning meetings went well, and when she donned her more practical clothing and set out to help Impa with one of the various rebuilding projects around town nobody said anything, though she thought she caught a few puzzled glances, and at least one disapproving glare. But the feeling of being out of the accursed skirt again was so nice that she didn't even care about that.

Putting it on again for her evening round of royal duties, however, felt like torture. Should she really wear the more practical clothing if it made her hate the dress even more? She was miserable enough in it as it was!

She shed it again that evening before climbing the hill to sit with Link and watch the moon rise. He made no comment on her clothing, he only patted the ground beside him and put his arm around her when she sat. She slumped sideways and leaned her head on his shoulder. He was only an inch or so taller than she, but it was comfortable enough, and he turned and kissed the top of her head gently. He made no other move though, and a little more of the tension went out of her when she realized he wasn't going to try and touch her again.

"Do you want to talk tonight?" asked Link quietly after a long silence.

"No," said Zelda simply.

Link nodded.

They sat in silence until the moon was well above the horizon. Zelda found herself yawning and reluctantly rose to go. She had her duties and they required her to rise early. Duty seemed to be always with her, in some ways even more so now than when she had been Sheik. _But I was happy as Sheik. Even then near the end, when I didn't know what to feel half the time, and everything seemed to be going in a dozen different directions, I was at least happy to be me. I haven't felt that way since. The little happy moments here and there have been in spite of this life I'm stuck with, not because of it._

Link rose as well. They walked down the hill together, hand in hand where the terrain didn't require them to jump and scramble over obstacles. When they reached the town and the parting of their paths Link pulled her in for a hug, holding her tight for a long moment. She hugged him back, hard. He gave her one soft kiss, then let go and stepped back. "Goodnight Zelda."

"Goodnight."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Day by day the castle walls rose higher. Night by night Link and Zelda surveyed them from above. When the new castle was finished, Zelda would be crowned queen. She felt inadequate to the task in many ways. She knew she was young and inexperienced, but more than that her inability to sort out her own personal issues made her doubt everything about herself. She felt tattered and frayed around the edges, increasingly uncomfortable in the role of princess, and increasingly antagonistic towards the dresses and skirts that symbolized that role. The only times when she was even remotely content were the hours she spent hammering, hauling beams and bricks, and otherwise assisting the rebuilding of Castle Town directly, and the hour or so she spent with Link each evening. She had trained for so many years, a hard, physical sort of training that she found she missed. So the chance to use her muscles was a very welcome one. Not to mention the freedom from the dreaded skirt. And Link never pushed and pressured her. He did ask, on occasion, if she was well, and if she wanted to talk, but he always accepted her refusal without argument. So they returned to spending their time discussing childhood memories, and other innocuous topics.

It wasn't a completely miserable life, but the anxiety and stress she felt kept growing and growing. Each day it was a little harder to put on the dress and assume the role of the princess. That was what it felt like, a role on a stage. She was somebody else entirely, pretending to be Zelda.

She could recall feeling like Sheik was a role once, long ago. But in memory, at least, it seemed that the feeling had eased with time. She recalled that she had begun to be comfortable with being a Sheikah boy fairly quickly. The feeling that Zelda was just a pretense never seemed to ease at all, in fact it grew worse as time passed.

And the coronation started to worry her. Once she was crowned queen there would be no going back. Not that she could back out of being a princess! Not if she was being honest about it. But somehow being queen felt much more final. Queen Zelda IX of Hyrule, ruler of all she surveyed. How could she rule Hyrule when she couldn't even rule her own heart? And what if this feeling of being somebody else acting out Zelda's life never faded? How could she face a lifetime of it?

It came to a head the day she went in to be fitted for her coronation dress. The seamstress fussed and clucked over her, which made her feel even more intensely uncomfortable than she already was. The compliments on her figure didn't help either. She didn't _want_ to be a "buxom lass," as the obviously country-bred woman put it. She didn't like either of those words much, if she was being honest about it.

_People sometimes called Sheik a pretty boy, and I never liked that much either, but this is worse. At least Sheik only minded the "pretty" part, and not the "boy." _

Suddenly there it was, set out in her own mind, what she hadn't let herself think all this time, but what she had known lay behind all her discontent, if only she'd been willing to admit it. She didn't want to be female. She wanted to be a boy again. She wanted to be handsome and not pretty. She wanted to be seen as strong and not fragile. She wanted to be Sheik again.

_Sheik is dead. _ She set her face, she would not cry while standing in a seamstress's shop getting measured! But the thought kept circling around in her mind. She had thought it, and could not now unthink it.

So when she returned to her room she took off the hated dress and looked at herself in the mirror. Even after she donned the wrappings that she had tried to forget she even owned, she was still Zelda, not Sheik. She hit the wall in frustration, letting out a cry. All she could see in the glass was the princess, soon to be queen. And that's all anybody else, even Link, saw when they looked at her.

Sheik was dead. But Sheik was still there, looking out of her eyes, wearing her body, trying to be her and failing. _So who am I now? I still don't know how to be Zelda, but I can't be Sheik. Who am I?_

"Zelda?" The voice outside the door was Link's. Zelda was suddenly very conscious that she was only wearing the wrappings, which quite definitely did not cover enough of her to be decent.

"A moment, don't come in!" she shouted, and dove for a night-dress that she could pull quickly over her head. Once she was covered she went to the door and opened it.

Link stood in the hallway outside. He smiled at her, as he always did, and she felt a little bit calmed by that smile. Link seemed very much unshakable, a rock she could be certain of, however things in her own life might shift and change like the sands of the haunted wasteland. "What is it?" she asked.

"Impa sent me. I happened to be talking to her when she was called away suddenly. She wanted to let you know she'd be gone, possibly for some time."

"Where is she going?"

"To the Shadow Temple, I assume. She said something about people with more courage than sense, and then remarked that they weren't destined heroes, so if she didn't go keep an eye on them they'd probably get themselves killed, so I assume somebody or other is trying to explore the temple."

"Ah, I see."

"Zelda..." Link frowned faintly. "Your hand is bleeding. And, uh... your eyes are red. What's going on?"

"Thrice," she muttered. She was still wearing the wrappings. So of course to Link's eyes she was once again disguised as a Sheikah.

"Just tell me. I promise, whatever it is, I won't be upset. I want to help you."

Zelda sighed, giving in. She had been avoiding talking about it with Link all this time, but that was in part because she'd been avoiding facing it herself. Now that she'd admitted to what was bothering her, she might as well tell Link. Though she didn't know if he could understand. She still wasn't sure _she_ understood. "Very well. You might as well come in, and I'll try to explain."

"Do you have any bandages?" asked Link once he was inside. "I should take care of your hand."

Zelda looked down at it. She had punched a stone wall, so she shouldn't have been surprised to find her knuckles torn and bloody, but she'd felt nothing, so the sight was a shock. "Uh... yeah. Here." She grabbed a packet from her dresser. The gauze strips were supposed to be part of some technique for applying paint to her face, or perhaps removing it, she couldn't recall. She'd never been able to bring herself to try it, the kit she owned had been a gift. They would do well enough for bandages. Link nodded and started carefully wrapping her hand. "So... tell me what brought you to attempt to assault a rock. Or was it a passing Goron?" said Link lightly as he worked.

Zelda couldn't help but smile at that. "Not a Goron, just my wall. It was stupid of me. But I was so frustrated. I... I don't really know how to explain it though."

"You've been unhappy about something ever since Ganondorf's defeat," said Link.

"Yes." Zelda heaved a sigh, then winced as Link tugged the gauze strip snug. "Ow. I've been unhappy since the Temple of Time, actually. It's just that for a while there I was also too busy trying to not die to think about it."

"Since the Temple... where Ganondorf captured you?"

"More where I turned into Zelda."

"What about that is so upsetting?"

"It doesn't really make any sense. But... I was happy as Sheik."

"Ah." Link nodded. "I think it makes plenty of sense. I was happy as a Kokiri boy, once. Changes can be hard."

"But do you... do you want to be him again? Are you unhappy now, being Link the Hylian?"

Link considered that for a moment. "No. I've gotten used to being an adult. It has its benefits. And I know I never really was a Kokiri. So for me it would feel like a lie to try and be one."

Zelda heaved another sigh. "I was never Sheik either."

"No? Why not?"

"Because it was just an illusion. The wrappings I wore were enchanted, that's all. They created an illusion, but it was never real."

"I don't know about that. Maybe the wrappings changed how you looked, but they didn't make you a Sheikah. They didn't give you your sense of duty, or your magic, or your fighting skills. Those were real."

"I suppose. But I wasn't really a boy. And that... that's the part I miss most. I'm not comfortable as Zelda. I'm not a princess. I don't want to wear a dress and be put on a throne that's some kind of untouchable pedestal. And even if... I don't know, even if I was more like Impa, and everyone admired me as a warrior, I still don't feel _right_ as Zelda. I thought I could learn to be happy as her. I thought... I thought, since you love Zelda, that I could be Zelda, so that I could love you. But I just can't! Everything about it is wrong. Everything about the way people look at me is wrong. Everything about how I'm supposed to look and act is wrong. Everything about my body is wrong, wrong, wrong. I can't feel comfortable, I don't feel at home. I don't want to be female, Link. That's what doesn't make any sense."

Link was silent again for some time, and Zelda looked down at him, where he still bent over her now-bandaged hand. Her stomach twisted. He couldn't possibly understand...

Finally he looked up. "It's a little strange, I'll admit it. But it doesn't matter to me."

"It... doesn't?"

"No! I loved Sheik. I think I said that, once." He smiled, and the smile was still as warm, still as welcoming and bright as it had been that first time in front of the Fire Temple. Zelda's heart leapt once again, seeing it. "It was strange, discovering that. I never thought I would love a boy, but I knew I loved Sheik. And then I found out that Sheik and Zelda were one and the same, and that actually made sense, because I loved Zelda too. But that doesn't mean I never loved Sheik in the first place. I love _you_, is who I love. Whatever you look like, whatever name you use. Whatever role you have. Girl or boy, Sheikah or princess, Zelda or Sheik, it doesn't matter to me. I'll still love you."

Tears sprang up in Zelda's eyes. She flung herself at Link and hugged him hard. "Oh Link."

"Zelda," he said softly and hugged her back. Then he let out a rueful chuckle. "Or should I call you that? Would you rather I called you Sheik?"

"I... uh..." For a moment Zelda's mind went utterly blank. That hadn't even occurred to her. Be called Sheik again? On one level it was ridiculous. She _was_ the princess Zelda. But something in her leapt in joy at the idea. Her rational mind tried to argue it down though. "Sheik is dead. He died in the Temple of Time, so I could become a sage."

"Is that how that works?"

"Sages have to die to awaken. I told you that once."

"Yes. But wouldn't that make Sheik the sage, not Zelda? I mean... 'dead' doesn't seem to mean much, to a sage. Impa is as dead as Sheik, but it doesn't seem to have slowed her down any."

Zelda blinked, presented with the second shocking, never before considered idea in as many minutes. "Yes... Yes, you're right." Something in her heart lifted. Sheik. Alive. To be Sheik again.

Link smiled at her expression. "Sheik it is then."

"But people will think it's strange."

"People can go jump in Lake Hylia," said Link instantly, fiercely. "If you want to be Sheik then you're Sheik. You're the princess. Or prince, I guess. You can do what you want."

Zelda sighed, her surging excitement suddenly deflated. "I can't, Link. I can't just do what I want, that's _not_ what being a princess means. I have a duty to Hyrule."

"I know you do. I'm not suggesting you abandon it." Link looked at her sincerely. "We both know the importance of duty. But how is being a prince instead of a princess abandoning your duty? Do you think you'll rule any worse as Sheik than you would as Zelda?"

"I... I don't know."

"I think I do. Sheik..." Link captured her-or perhaps it was his?-hand in his own and stroked it gently. "You've been falling apart these last few weeks. You're miserable, and people can tell. It's putting the rest of the kingdom on edge. You're the one who beat Ganondorf, you're the bearer of Wisdom. You're their talisman, the one they look to to see the health of the kingdom. And they're seeing that you're worried, frayed, and miserable. Things must be going badly for Hyrule. The rebuilding must be going wrong, or there's some new disaster coming, or something. The rumors are very small as yet, only those close to you have noticed, and most of them don't gossip. But if this keeps up, if you stay Zelda and stay unhappy, you'll create an unhappy kingdom. If being Sheik makes you happy then it's the best possible thing you can do for Hyrule."

"You really think so?"

"I do. And if you think about it, I suspect you'll agree. You're the wise sage, after all. Go meditate on it or something. If it turns out I'm wrong I'll still be here for you, whatever you choose."

"Thank you Link." He felt a huge weight lifting away. Link was right. He could be Sheik again. He could live again. He felt light as a feather. The world seemed suddenly brighter. And even this body that was so very wrong no longer seemed like a puppet that he didn't know how to operate. It was the same body he'd always had, after all.

Link kissed him gently, and he kissed back with a pure intensity. "I love you so much," he said.

"I love you too, always," was Link's reply.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Sheik woke the next morning with a sense of excitement mingled with trepidation. He had meditated as Link had suggested, and nothing, not a sage's sight, not the Triforce of Wisdom, and not his own logic, had told him that he couldn't be Sheik again. Meanwhile his heart shouted and leapt and caroled with joy at the very thought. So he could make no other decision. It was time for Zelda to once again become Sheik. But though in many ways this transformation would be easier, in others it would be harder. Zelda was very much a public figure. Such a change could not possibly go unremarked.

And there were more immediate, pragmatic problems. His entire wardrobe consisted of a dozen or so royal dresses, which were out of the question, two changes of rough working clothes, which were possible but undignified, and one Sheikah uniform, which would be comfortable, but not necessarily appropriate. He stood, still wearing a lace-trimmed nightdress, since he didn't own anything else to sleep in, and stared at the various options.

A knock at the door interrupted him. He expected some messenger, but instead it was Link, carrying in armful of fabric.

"Link?" Sheik looked at him in puzzlement.

"Sheik. Good morning." Link grinned at him. "I went on a minor quest last night and turned this up for you. Tell me what you think."

The armful of fabric turned out to be a Royal Guard uniform, about his size. It seemed to be an officer's uniform, but it was trimmed with a little bit of extra gold braid and lacked the breastplate that all Guards wore with it. "What is this?"

"I consulted with a librarian; do you know that one of the ones from the palace saved most of the books when Ganondorf invaded seven years ago? He's setting up a library here in town, he'd been hiding the books in his basement all this time! Anyway, I asked him what your father had worn when he was a prince. It turns out that traditional princely garb is usually military in nature. He said it's more or less an officer's uniform, fancied up a bit. So I found one and had a few extra bits added. We can get a nicer one made later, but this will do for now, I think."

Sheik stared at him. "Link... thank you! Thank you so much. I can't believe you went to so much effort."

"It wasn't that much, really. I used to run a lot of errands like this for people when I was questing. Often the best way to get a favor out of somebody who has something you need is to do a favor for them first." He grinned.

"Very wise of you," said Sheik.

"Well, you don't have a sole monopoly on wisdom, any more than I do on courage. And," he added, sobering a bit, "you are being very courageous. I know it must be frightening, changing your self in the eyes of others like this."

"It is, yes."

"Do you have a plan?"

"A plan?" Sheik was puzzled, then he realized what Link was getting at. "Oh! No. I should though. Responding off the cuff on an issue that's emotional for me might not go well."

Link nodded. "There's _your_ wisdom showing. Yes. What's the official royal opinion about this, your highness?"

Sheik considered. "Well... I could be aggressive about it, I suppose. That would certainly help people see me as masculine. But it would also create a lot of conflict. Much as I might like to march into the next council meeting and decree that I'm Sheik now and will fight anybody who says otherwise, I don't think that's the way to go."

Link chuckled. "No, probably not."

"I think... well, honestly I think I'm just going to do it. They can call me Zelda, at least for now. I might insist on having Sheik be my name when I'm crowned though... I'm not sure I'd like having Zelda on all the official paperwork for the rest of my life. But anyway, that's months away yet. For now... for now I'll just get dressed and go about my day. If anybody asks I'll explain things as best I can, otherwise I'll just say nothing. I suspect most of them will say nothing either."

"Would you like me to come along?"

Sheik blinked at Link. "To the council meeting this morning?"  
"Yes. And everywhere else for a day or two at least. I was thinking I could give quelling looks to people. I could imitate Impa, she is very good at them. You'll probably get fewer questions if you have a visible, armed bodyguard staring down anybody who dares ask one."

"I... well... yes. Though you don't need to stare people down. Just having you with me will be enough."

"I'll come then."

"Thank you." Sheik gave Link a quick kiss, then said, "Now I need to get dressed, so you need to leave for a moment."

Link nodded his assent and left the room. Sheik donned his bindings, and then the uniform over it. He pulled his hair back in a simple tail, and smiled at his reflection. It wasn't quite the same as his Sheikah gear, but it was infinitely better than the dress. He felt like Sheik, and not like a princess at all.

He let Link back in. "What do you think?"

Link smiled. "You look good. The uniform is very Hylian, and I think that will be good, most of your subjects are Hylians, after all. Though the eyes are still quite Sheikah."

"Ah. I'd almost forgotten." He saw them as blue in his reflection, of course. But Link was seeing Sheikah red. And so would everybody else. He frowned, thinking that through. Changing clothes was one thing, and so long as his face was the same some people probably wouldn't even realize his body type had changed, but changing his eyes? He would confuse people. There might be concerns about imposters, magic, plots... "I think I should leave them blue, actually. I never minded the blue that much. It's what I've always seen in the mirror anyway, the illusion doesn't work on the wearer."

"I like them either way," said Link with a smile.

Sheik called light to him. For a moment he feared it might not answer to his hand. After all, Zelda was the one who had learned to use the six elements, Sheik knew only shadow. But no, he had been Sheik all this time, really. It was Zelda who hadn't been real. And the light came to him as easily as ever. Light was suited to altering an illusion spell. With hardly more than a thought he changed the wrappings he wore. The spell that altered his body shape he left. The one that turned his eyes red he carefully trimmed away.

"There. They're blue again?" he asked Link.

"Yes."

"Well. I guess I'm ready then."

Sheik made his way through town to the building they were using as a kind of makeshift royal headquarters while the castle was being built. Link walked with him, but not hand in hand this time. Instead Link walked a step behind, assuming the role of bodyguard with ease. Sheik felt rather less confident, and wished he could simply slip through shadow and arrive quietly in the council room without any fanfare. _But I'm a princess-no a prince. I'm supposed to rule here. I can't slink into my own council like a tardy schoolboy._ So he squared his shoulders and walked, trying to imitate Link's easy, confident stride.

The townsfolk had always waved and greeting him when he walked through town as Zelda. And he saw some of the same waves, heard some of the same greetings. Though there were also a great many looks of confusion. There were people who walked by, not recognizing him, then halted and hastily greeted him. People who started to wave and stopped, uncertain. Even some who didn't seem to see him at all, now that he wasn't dressed in a highly distinctive royal dress. He had worried that the citizens' reactions might be distressing, but he actually found himself being amused at the confusion. And there were no glares or looks of disapproval, at least not yet.

By the time he reached the council room he was smiling broadly, feeling ready to take on the world.

He strode through the doors and went directly to his seat at the head of the table. Link stationed himself just behind and to one side of Sheik's chair, and assumed a guard's stance, making it obvious why he was there.

A murmur went around the room. Sheik distinctly heard one elderly Hylian duchess whisper, "What is she _wearing_?" in tones of shock to her neighbor. He ignored the whispers and simply set about doing business as usual. After a few moments the surprise died down and the meeting went very much as such meetings had gone in the past.

After the meeting, however, the duchess pulled Sheik aside. "Your highness, I must speak with you."

"Yes Lady Potho?"

"It's about your attire." She gave Sheik a sour look, though truthfully her face was always a bit sour. She knew Hyrule's economics inside and out, and her advice had been frequently essential to solving many of the problems the war-ravaged Hyrule faced. So she was very much a valued member of the council. But Sheik would rather fight Stalfos than engage in social conversation with Lady Portho, he was not personally fond of her at all. "That... _outfit_ is quite inappropriate for your status, your highness."

"I'm told that it's very like what my father wore when he was younger, my lady. I don't know how it could possibly be inappropriate."

Lady Potho's expression of baffled outrage was absolutely priceless, it was all Sheik could do to keep his face straight. From the corner of his eye he could just see Link lift a hand to cover his smile. "Zelda! Your father... you... it is _entirely_ inappropriate!"

"I beg to differ. If I thought it was entirely inappropriate I wouldn't have worn it. I don't feel, however, that my clothing is a matter of any sort of national importance, and there are matters which _are_ quite important which I must attend to. Now if you'll excuse me?" Sheik gave her a formal nod, turned, and strode briskly away. He needed to get out of the room before he broke down and started laughing.

In the hall outside he and Link exchanged glances, and both immediately burst into helpless giggles. "Goddesses! Her expression!" said Link in a nearly hysterical whisper.

"Yes! But shh, she'll be out here any minute," said Sheik, trying to get his giggling under control.

"Right." Link took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Sheik managed to suppress his laughter after a moment, and then walked down the hall, Link falling in behind him once more. Though every time the duchess's expression crossed his mind he had to fight off another giggle fit.

There was a smaller room in the same building where Sheik would spend a few hours meeting individually with various people, mostly the foremen and others involved with planning the town's restoration and the castle's rebuilding, as well as a few who were providing for the refugees who needed food and shelter. Inside it Sheik and Link immediately fell apart into giggles again.

"It's not that funny!" said Sheik in between bursts of laughter.

"I know it's not! But I can't help it." Link was doubled over, breathless with laughter. "She just! Hee! Her face!"

"I know! I would have dressed like this just for that moment, frankly," he said, managing to calm his laughter just a bit.

"It was definitely worth it." Link grinned.

"Here's to many more such moments in the future. Something for me to look forward to!" Sheik returned Link's grin.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The months following were interesting in sometimes unexpected ways. Sheik had been braced for the looks of disapproval, and he did get some, especially once the rumors began flying. Some of those looks came from rumors that flew far of the mark. Some came from those that landed very close indeed. Not everyone was warmly inclined towards Sheik's choice to be himself. Link became his constant companion, and gave out quelling looks in large numbers. And Impa, though she was often away tending to her temple, gave out a few of her own when she was present. Hers were even more effective than Link's. He might be the Hero of Time, but Impa was a legend of a different sort, and had been since before Link had been born. All of Hyrule knew that she brooked no nonsense from anyone.

But Sheik had not been braced for the other encounters. The young man wearing a dress who came up to him and thanked him with tears in his eyes, though he never said exactly what Sheik was being thanked for. The teenage girl, or perhaps boy, who expressed delight that "The prince is just like me!" and whose mother smiled indulgently at her child and thanked Sheik too. Those and other incidents showed that Sheik was not by any means the only one in Hyrule who had such problems, and that many of his soon-to-be subjects were glad of his very public example.

And for most of the people of Hyrule it seemed that it didn't really matter. Even those who seemed a bit shocked by Sheik's dress, and his gradual assumption of a male life, still tended to think well of him. He might be strange and a little scandalous, but he was still _their _princess, or prince if he really did insist, and he was still their sage and their savior, the one who had fought Ganondorf for seven years and finally won with the help of the hero. For though Link was certainly honored and praised, it was Zelda who the people thought of as their true savior.

Thankfully Link didn't object. His quiet nature made him uncomfortable with excessive public attention, so he was happy to let Sheik have the spotlight.

And Sheik's willingness to pitch in physically and personally with the rebuilding only helped to strengthen his people's regard for him. They loved that every day, for an hour or so at least, he was right there beside them, repairing houses, clearing rubble, and working on the castle. Which latter task went faster and faster as the town's repairs began to be nearly complete and the building crews had more time to work on the castle.

Soon the castle walls were finished, and work on the roofing began. The walls had taken nearly a year, the roof took a few months, and then the interior took several months further, but at last the castle was nearly finished.

And with the castle's completion, Sheik's coronation loomed closer and closer. Which was presenting a number of various difficulties.

They had, for one, been forced to find a tailor to make his clothing for the occasion. The dressmaker who had originally been hired did make male clothing as well, but she had proved to be one of the few who were absolutely horrified by and utterly opposed to Sheik's male presentation. She had flatly refused to do the work.

Thankfully the tailor they found instead was delighted, both for the royal commission's effect on his business, and for his own personal reasons, for it turned out that he himself enjoyed wearing women's clothing, and designed outfits of both genders for his own wardrobe. He said he was tickled to be able to make something for the princess-turned-prince, and Sheik was comfortable enough with him that he was able to remove his wrappings and have his true measurements taken without any illusion.

And the priest who would be officiating at the ceremony itself proved to be friendly as well. He didn't bat an eye at Sheik's male clothing and seemed only mildly surprised to be asked to crown a king rather than a queen, so that hurdle proved far more easily cleared than Sheik had thought possible.

The other major hurdle came as a complete surprise.

"You wanted to see me, Mako?"

"Yes your highness."

Sheik, with Link shadowing him as usual, stood in a small office in the newly built castle. Some of the rooms were still being furnished, but a few had already been moved into. Mako was the seneschal, the one who oversaw the everyday matters of the castle. He had served Sheik's father King Daltus for decades, and though Sheik did not quite count him as a personal friend, he had been far too young when he'd last seen Mako, he did hold the tiny, bespectacled, elderly man in high regard.

"What about?"

"It's about the paperwork for the coronation, your highness."

"There's a problem with it?"

"Well... it's the name, your highness."

"I see." Sheik stiffened a bit, braced for an argument. He had already had been forced into several rounds of debate with members of the royal council about taking King Sheik I as his reigning name. He was _not _going to accept "Queen Zelda," no matter what anyone said.

"Zelda..." Mako's voice held none of the harsh condemnation Sheik had been braced for. Instead he seemed to be suddenly near tears. "Your name is a name that has belonged to your family for countless generations. There have been eight queens named Zelda to reign before you, and many other princesses besides them to bear that name. And your father gave you that name with pride, hoping you'd live up to all those who have gone before." He stopped, obviously struggling to remain in control of himself. "And you have, Zelda. You've surpassed his dreams, even. You have grown into a wonderful person who will be a wonderful ruler. But your father and I were very close. I just can't... I can't bear to see you throw away the name he chose for you, and all the history that goes with it. I can't do it! Ask me to resign if you must, I know you wouldn't do such a thing on a whim. I know it matters to you for some reason I can't understand. But please, don't make me do this. I can't write that name on the paperwork. I can't and I won't!"

"Mako..." Sheik wanted to reach out and hug him. He was so obviously distressed. "I'm not doing this to throw away anything. I loved my father too. But I'm not Zelda any more. I haven't been Zelda since Ganondorf invaded. I'm not that person, I can't use that name."

"You don't have to use it. A reign name isn't the same as a use name."

Sheik blinked. "It isn't?"

"No! Of course you have to use it in any formal capacity, but quite a few past rulers have had reign names that differed from their everyday names."

"I didn't know that. Let me think about this." Sheik was silent for a while, his thoughts turning over. He hated the name Zelda. But Mako was not only an old family friend, he was essential to the day-to-day running of the castle. He had worked miracles in furnishing it, and continued to work miracles in preparing things for the upcoming festivities. If he resigned it would be a disaster. And... Sheik thought of his father. He seldom did so, those memories were painful. But his father had loved him, and Mako had a point about throwing away the name his father had chosen. Finally Sheik said, "Mako, I can't be Zelda, but... you're right that it shouldn't be thrown aside lightly. I will not be a queen though. It will be hard enough to be respected as I wish to be without that dragging me down. But... would King Zelda be suitable?"

"I... I don't know. Zelda is a female name, your highness."

Sheik chuckled. "I'm quite aware of that, Mako."

"I suppose... I mean, it's never been done, but..."

"I don't intend to let things that have never been done define my reign," said Sheik

At that Mako smiled. "Good! Yes. All right then. King Zelda I it is."

"The First?"

"Yes your highness. There have been eight queens named Zelda, but you will most definitely be the first king."

Sheik nodded. "Indeed so." Then he smiled. "And thank you Mako. I'm glad you talked to me. I knew I didn't want to be Zelda, but I hadn't thought about what else I might be rejecting with that name. I did love my father very much."

"He was a great man."

"Yes. Now... I hate to rush off, but I have a very busy day. If there's nothing else you need...?"

"No. Thank you, your highness."

"You're most welcome, Mako."

Sheik turned, with Link following behind him, and left the room. Outside it, Link said, "That was very nicely handled."

Sheik nodded, with a wry smile. "Yes. I might prefer to leave Zelda entirely behind, but Mako is right. I shouldn't throw out all my history. I won't be allowed to in any case, so I might as well compromise. And... it will be nice, at least if I can get over hating the name every time I hear it, to remember my father that way."

With that final hurdle cleared, the plans for the coronation continued ahead apace. And soon the day dawned. Sheik still had mixed feelings. He would be committing to ruling these people. He was very aware of his youth and inexperience. A sage's awareness helped, but only so much. But he was surrounded by good counselors, including the six other sages, who were all members of the council even if they didn't always attend. And Link, somehow, lent him a measure of the young hero's own quiet confidence, just by being there.

Still, Sheik's stomach had tied itself in a veritable Gordian Knot of tension by the time the ceremony itself arrived. He waited in an antechamber behind the throne room with several servants fussing over his appearance. The one that had braided his hair had also tried to put flowers in it, and had been gently rebuked. Now both of them were making minor adjustments to the way his doublet, mantle, and breeches sat. He felt occasionally very uncomfortable, as they never seemed to care where their hands ended up. But they were all entirely impersonal about it, so he couldn't quite bring himself to protest.

Link stood beside him, as always, watching with an amused smile. He was still wearing a simple tunic, though it was of a much finer cloth than usual, and had some embroidery on the hem. He was also wearing the Master Sword. He didn't always carry it, it was usually left on its pedestal in the Temple of Time, which Sheik himself had sealed magically, while Link carried a similar but ordinary blade. But Link had thought it appropriate to the occasion, and Sheik had agreed.

Outside the chamber Sheik could hear a growing murmur of voices. Half of Hyrule had wanted to come to the coronation, and the throne room was packed with people of all races. The main courtyard of the castle was packed as well, and Sheik would be making an appearance on the balcony above so that his subjects could see him.

He would also be expected to make a speech. He'd rehearsed it many times, and was fairly good at speech making, so that wasn't the part he was worried about. It was the coronation itself, the moment when he really would be finally and irrevocably responsible for the welfare of thousands of people. That and the waiting. The waiting was probably the worst part.

Finally a fanfare sounded, and the moment had arrived. Link stepped close and, to the scandalized giggles of the servants, kissed Sheik hard. "Good luck," he whispered.

"Thanks," said Sheik dazedly. Then he opened the door and stepped out onto the dais of the throne room, Link on his heels.

The rest of the day was a blur. There was music. A Zora orchestra. A Goron choir. A lovely Hylian soloist. There were speeches, by him, by the High Priest of the Three, and by his fellow kings who were both, Zora and Goron, in attendance. There were people of all sorts. Gorons in nothing but their natural rock. Zoras in scant, glittering outfits that were jewelry more than clothing. Hylians, noble and common, in a hundred different colors and styles. Even a few Kokiri, simply clad in their forest green and shamelessly irreverent in the face of such an occasion. And the other six sages, who lit the dais behind him with their magic at the moment his crown was placed on his head as a symbol of their support, were there too. Impa found a moment, when Sheik was mingling afterward, to hug him and congratulate him, then she was gone, literally vanished into shadow. The other sages didn't linger either. They had become increasingly elusive as time passed, save for Ruto, who had her own royal requirements to balance against her sage's duties.

Out of the blur of color and light and sound, just one moment was burned brightly into his memory. The moment when the High Priest said "In the name of Din, Nayru, and Farore, I crown thee King Zelda I of Hyrule." That one moment, even though it bore his old name, also bore his new triumph. He had succeeded in being crowned _king_. He had been apprehensive, but when the moment arrived somehow he knew that he could succeed. In that instant he felt his new life opening up before him as never before.

Through it all Link stayed at his shoulder, mostly silent, but always there, a quiet support in the face of real congratulations, feigned congratulations, attempts at political maneuvering and even the rare cases of open hostility.

And finally, when it was all over and Sheik somehow ended up in the immense bedroom that was now his, Link was still there with him. The servants had gone, shutting the door behind them. So at long last it was just the two of them.

"Congratulations, your majesty," said Link with a smile.

"Thanks." Sheik glanced around, found a nearby side table, and immediately removed his crown and set it down. It was heavy and he was unaccustomed to the weight. Link smiled, and then pulled off his baldric, setting it and the sword on it in the corner beside the table. Sheik puzzled at that for a moment. Link couldn't possibly be tired of bearing the sword, he'd worn it for months on end!

He shook off the thought, and pulled his mantle off as well, letting the long, heavy garment fall to the floor. It was covered almost completely in embroidery, and the fabric wasn't a light one to begin with, so it felt like he'd been carrying a young Goron on his shoulders. He sighed with relief when it was removed. "Much better."

Link took a few steps closer and put his arms around Sheik. Sheik noticed that he seemed a little tense. Was something wrong?

"Would it be better..." Link paused, and Sheik noticed he was also blushing furiously. "Would it be better if you took everything else off too? I could help..."

Sheik blinked. "Uh... I..."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's all right." Sheik's pulse was suddenly pounding. The kisses and touches between he and Link had been growing more passionate for some time. They both knew where it would likely lead, but Sheik had been reluctant to go there, and Link had at least been willing to wait, he hadn't pushed Sheik at all. But now he was dropping a fairly unmistakable hint. Sheik still was not entirely comfortable with his body. He probably never would be. So he had resisted letting Link undress him, no matter how heated their kisses and caresses had grown. But now... now Link was asking, though in such a way that Sheik could gently turn him down, for much more than they had done before.

He hesitated, looking at Link. Link kissed his cheek softly, but said nothing else. He wouldn't push things now any more than he had ever pushed things.

And that, of course, meant that Sheik was the one who would have to choose. _But then I'm the one that's all torn up about this. I know that Link wants to make love. He's been willing all this time. It's only me who's uncertain. So what do I choose? Push him away again? Put it off a little longer, and then a little more, and maybe forever? Do I really want to grow old without having at least tried?_

The answer to that question was easy. And so in the end his answer to Link's unspoken question was easy too, though it didn't feel easy. With his stomach in knots for an entirely different reason he pressed close to Link and kissed him deeply. And when they broke apart he said, "Yes."

"Yes?" Link blinked at him.

"The answer, to the question you _really_ asked. Is yes. I don't know how it will work, I'm not sure it _can _work, but... I love you, and I want to try. So yes."

"It can work. I know it can work."

"Even if I freak out when you touch me?"

"Yes."

"Even if it turns out I can't bear to let you undress me?"

"Yes. It doesn't matter. We'll find a way. I love you, Sheik. I've always loved you, whoever you are, however you look, whatever we can or can't do, and I want to show you how much I love you every way I can."

Sheik smiled, a joyful warmth blossoming in his heart. "I love you too Link. All of me, every way I can. You're right, we'll find a way."

And, as the rest of Hyrule celebrated the restoration of their kingdom and the coronation of their beloved ruler well into the night, inside the castle the newly crowned king of Hyrule and his hero, knight, and love did indeed find a way.


End file.
